The latest teaser for Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel is an effective one. The clip introduces General Zod via a grainy video transmission that makes Superman’s arch enemy look a lot creepier than he does in production stills. The voice clearly belongs to actor Michael Shannon , who plays Zod in this latest reboot of Warner’s Superman franchise, but the staticky image leaves the impression that the Kryptonian wack-job is wearing some sort of mask with weird eyes and an exceptionally elongated chin. Either that or Zod trimmed his goatee and got some sleep after sending this transmission. (See the photo above.) The calm way in which the baddie warns that the planet Earth will “suffer the consequences” if Kal-El (Superman’s Kryptonian name) doesn’t surrender is also a nice chilling touch. There may be more to look at in a couple of days or so. ComingSoon.net reports that another site IWillFindHim.com is counting down from 48 hours, possibly for a trailer. Since I can’t read Kryptonian, or whatever language that is on the screen, I’ll take their word for it. I, Zod [ ComingSoon , I Will Find Him ] More on Superman: Warner To Announce New DC Superhero Movies (And Remember Those Joseph Gordon-Levitt Rumors?) What The Kal-El? The Seriously Weird Superman That Nicolas Cage Almost Played Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Talk about a crappy birthday present. Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh returned to his home around 12:30 a.m. today after an evening celebrating in South Beach… only to find the residence ransacked. Law enforcement officials tell TMZ that a jewelry drawer was open and Bosh estimates approximately $340,000 worth of items was taken. Because there was no forced entry, and because the culprit would seem to have known Bosh would be out partying, authorities are looking into anyone who had access to the home. This isn’t the first time this year that Bosh has faced trouble off the court. Last month, a rumor circulated that Lil Wayne banged his wife . Seriously!
Lena Headey of Game of Thrones fame is broke. Or awfully close … she has $5 in the bank. Five. Queen Cersei may be filthy-rich on-screen, but in real life, the British star, 39, is living paycheck to paycheck as Game of Thrones Season 3 gets underway. Lena Headey split from husband Peter Loughran last year, and the couple is in the midst of a fight over how to split a joint $46,000 tax refund from 2011. Loughran is demanding half of the money, while Headey is asking for an emergency $6,000 advance from the communal funds to support their 2-year-old son. The actress has “less than $5 in her bank account,” reports say. How much less? It’s unclear, and pretty much irrelevant. According to the documents, Headey would be willing to allow Loughran $6,000 as well, but wants the remaining $34,000 kept in a blocked bank account. Unfortunately for both parties,, a judge on the case has denied both Loughran and Headey’s demands, leaving the actress in dire financial straits. As for how a successful actress on one of TV’s biggest shows could have a sub-$5 net worth, we have two words for you: Nicolas Cage .
Although state-of-the-art in its rendering of textures, movement and stereography, DreamWorks’ latest 3D toon, The Croods , adopts a relatively primitive approach to storytelling with its Flintstonian construction of stock, ill-fitting narrative elements. Part family adventure story, part romance and part eye-popping thrill ride, this tale of a prehistoric family seeking a new home in a dangerous and geologically volatile environment won’t have the broad appeal of DreamWorks’ Shrek and Kung Fu Panda pics, or Fox’s own B.C.-era Ice Age franchise. But it should prove a solid earner after its March 22 release in a frame relatively free of rival predators. Conceived in 2005 under the catchier title Crood Awakening , with John Cleese and trade journo-turned-agent-turned-screenwriter Kirk DeMicco ( Racing Stripes ) set to script, The Croods was intended to further DreamWorks’ collaboration with Aardman Animation ( Chicken Run , Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit , Flushed Away ) before the two companies parted ways in 2006. DeMicco and animation vet Chris Sanders ( Lilo & Stitch ) share scripting and directing duties, with Cleese co-credited for the story. The main element from Crood Awakening that seems to have survived the transition to the screen is the premise of brutish cavepeople who meet a more evolved humanoid with clever ideas up his fur sleeve, like how to make fire. But instead of the original project’s quasi-Neanderthal community, the core characters here are a frightened family of six called the Croods, seemingly the last of their species after natural selection has chewed its way through their neighbors. Enjoined by patriarch Grug (voiced by Nicolas Cage ) to “never not be afraid,” the Croods hunt as a pack by day and huddle in a cave by night to hide from a delightfully designed bestiary of made-up monsters, such as the self-explanatory Bear Owl and the Macawnivore, a colorful saber-toothed tiger variant roughly the size of a rhino. Grug’s wife, Ugga ( Catherine Keener ); doltish son, Thunk ( Clark Duke ); tart-tongued mother-in-law, Gran ( Cloris Leachman ); and ferociously belligerent toddler daughter, Sandy (“Release the baby!” is one of the pic’s funnier catchphrases), are all content to stick to the routine. But teenage daughter Eep ( Emma Stone ) longs for broader horizons and a literally brighter view of the world. Enter Guy ( Ryan Reynolds ), the only survivor of a family that, judging by his svelter frame, more erect posture and higher forehead, must have been a bit further up the evolutionary ladder. Although most of the Croods are impressed with Guy’s innovations, like fire and shoes, Grug wants no truck with this young hotshot who’s winning Eep’s heart, or any of his newfangled ideas. However, when it starts to look like Guy may be right about the world breaking up, they have no choice but to seek greener pastures. The main problem with the film is that the script simply isn’t very funny, and its various subplots never quite mesh satisfyingly together; apart from Grug, Eep and Guy, the other characters add little to the proceedings apart from a few feeble jokes. Yet these story deficiencies are fairly well papered over by the pacey, smoothly animated action scenes, delivered at regular intervals. Highlights include an early hunt, with a football-like egg passed from character to character, that gains much from well-timed, Wile E. Coyote-style slapstick; and a nifty escape sequence involving volcanic eruptions, sticky tar and, of all things, makeshift puppets. Younger auds will be hypnotized by the pic’s scorching color palette, particularly in the Avatar -like jungle setting, and throughout the animators have lavished loving attention on how different kinds of light (moon, sun, fire) play on the surfaces of skin, fur and landscape. Presumably, it’s in this area that ace lenser Roger Deakins lent his services as a visual consultant, as he did on DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon . Character design, however, is less adroit, although the Croods’ stocky, simplistic figures will lend themselves well enough to merchandising. Onscreen, they’re not terribly appealing, and Eep’s helmet-like hair and East German weightlifter physique make her a somewhat awkward match with the spindly Guy, even if it’s laudable for the animators to have designed a young heroine who doesn’t fit the usual Barbie-doll proportions. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Early Thursday morning, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced its Golden Globe nominees , and, as you might expect, there were some surprises. Thanks to the Academy’s decision to unveil its Oscar nominations on Jan. 10, three days before Globe winners are revealed on Jan. 13, today’s nominations will have less bearing than usual on Oscar jockeying. But don’t let anyone kid you. Academy voters may have nothing in common with HFPA members, but they aren’t impervious to the media’s perception of who’s hot, cold or no longer in the running. With that in mind, here are a few preliminary observations about the nominations: The snubs: Although both Les Misérables and Silver Linings Playbook were nominated in the Best Musical or Comedy Picture category, those films’ directors, respectively, Tom Hooper and David O. Russell were conspicuously absent from the Best Directors category. Robert De Niro , who does his best work in years in Playbook was also not nominated. Beasts of The Southern Wild was shut out entirely, although I doubt that will be the case with the Academy. In some ways, the biggest surprise of all was the cold shoulder that Skyfall got despite its critical acclaim and spectacular overseas box-office success. Adele’s theme song, Skyfall , was the FHPA’s only nod to the film. Dame Judi Dench is among the nominees, but for her work in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel . We at Movieline are also extremely disappointed that Matthew McConaughey was not nominated for Magic Mike. The surprises: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen which netted nominations for Best Film, Actor ( Ewan McGregor ) and Actress ( Emily Blunt ) in the Comedy or Musical category. (The film may not have done Skyfall numbers, but it also performed surprisingly well at the box office.) Nicole Kidman’s Supporting Actress nomination for The Paperboy should at least get Academy voters to consider or reconsider her performance. Meanwhile, Rachel Weisz’s performance in The Deep Blue Sea is turning in to the most honored acting role that nobody saw, but that could be about to change. The Head Scratcher: I realize that the title of Quentin Tarantino’s movie is not Dr. King Schultz Unchained , but it’s a damn shame that Christoph Waltz’s extraordinary performance as the bounty hunter who frees Django and helps him locate his wife, has been relegated to the Supporting Actor category. Although Daniel Day-Lewis is probably going to win the Best Actor, Drama category, I actually think Waltz would have had a better shot in that race because his performance and Django Unchained are both very different from the other entries. In the supporting actor category, he and co-star Leonardo DiCaprio will inevitably cancel each other out. Technicalities and politics be damned, Waltz’s performance is as crucial to the movie as Jamie Foxx’s, and I say he got robbed here. Related: Golden Globes Unveil 70th Edition Nominees Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
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
We still may not be sure about whom Taylor Swift is singing in her latest single, ” We Are Never Getting Back Together ,” but we can be certain of one thing: It’s already a huge hit. The track is on pace for 600,000 downloads in its opening week, meaning it will challenge Flo Rida (and “Right Round”) for the largest debut of all-time and shatter the female record-holder: Lady Gaga with “Born This Way.” The song also broke in to the Billboard Hot 100 at number-72, but its initial seven days of sales, combined with its overwhelming airplay, make it a strong favorite to hold the top spot later this month. SoundScan will post final scales figures tomorrow, but we don’t need to wait until then to declare: the music world belongs to Taylor Swift. All other artists are just living in it.
Vanessa Hudgens is about to put these dance moves to good, nearly naked use. The actress portrays a stripper named Cindy in the upcoming thriller The Frozen Ground , which is based on real-life events and stars Nicolas Cage as an Alaskan State Tropper who partners with Hudgens’ character because she was lucky enough to escape a serial killer who abducts young women. Scheduled for a November 30 release, the film also stars 50 Cent, Dean Norris and John Cusack. Watch the first official trailer now and look for Hudgens to slink around the stripper stage around the 50-second mark:
Nic Cage re-teams with Con Air director Simon West ( Expendables 2 ) in Stolen , which is the most-est ’90s-est classic Nic Cage genre vehicle we’ve seen in a long time. (Yes, but is it very nouveau shamanic ?) The overly complicated plot involving a burned ex-partner and millions in stolen booty! The estranged daughter with an Anne Parillaud haircut! AND OH DEAR LORD IS THAT REALLY JOSH LUCAS OUT-NIC CAGING NIC CAGE? Sigh. It is . Your Friday Fun Time has arrived. Oh yeah, Malin Akerman is in this (and threatens to turn in the best acting in the cast). Two lingering thoughts: A. Is it just me, or does this voice-over narrator pronounce Nicolas Cage like a total weirdo (“Nicolas Ca-aaage”) at the 1:30 mark? B. JOSH LUCAS WTF!? I can’t even . If anyone needs me this weekend I’ll be watching Sweet Home Alabama on repeat wondering how things could go so wrong over the course of 10 years. Verdict : Folks, we’ve got to buy tickets and make this a hit so that poor Josh Lucas never has to go oily-skinned and straggly-haired again. EVER. Mmkay? Director Simon West and Nicolas Cage re-team for the first time since CON AIR for STOLEN, a fast paced action thriller set during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. WILL MONTGOMERY (Nicolas Cage) is a master thief who after being double-crossed in a heist gone awry is sent to prison for 8 years. Upon his release he’s ready to leave his criminal past behind and try to rebuild a relationship with his estranged daughter ALLISON. The FBI and his old cohorts believe that he hid the loot from the last heist 8 years ago, $10 Million in Bonds. To get his hands on it, his old partner VINCENT kidnaps Allison and demands the entire $ 10 Million as ransom. Keeping her in the soundproofed trunk of a Taxi Cab, he’s able to stay mobile amongst the throngs of taxis out during Mardi Gras day making it nearly impossible to find. Montgomery only has one day to get the $10 Million ransom but much to the disbelief of the FBI on his trail and Vincent, Will doesn’t actually have it. Instead, he must trust his instincts and his old partner in crime, the beautiful, sexy and smart RILEY, to do one more, clever heist to get his daughter back alive before it’s too late. [via Yahoo ] Stolen will hit theaters September 14, 2012. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Breaking Sports Video
