Film Friday (10/3): This Week's New Movies & Trailers
Opening this weekend
Nationwide releases . Gone Girl R THRILLER Trailer
David Fincher directs Gillian Flynn's adaptation of her own best-selling novel about a man (Ben Affleck) implicated in the disappearance of his wife (Rosamund Pike). Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry also star.
. The Good Lie PG-13 DRAMA Trailer
Reese Witherspoon stars as a counselor who helps three Sudanese refugees find jobs and acclimate to life in America in a drama from the producers of The Blind Side.
. Annabelle R HORROR Trailer
This horror film serves as a prequel/spinoff to The Conjuring, featuring that film’s extremely creepy doll. Annabelle Wallis and Alfre Woodard star.
. Left Behind NR SCI-FI/ACTION/THRILLER Trailer
This Razzie-eligible remake of the 2001 Kirk Cameron rapture film is somehow even worse than the original, despite (or because of?) the presence of star Nicolas Cage.
Notable limited releases . Harmontown NR DOCUMENTARY
Community creator Dan Harmon is the subject of a documentary that follows him during the year he was away from that show, as he performed his podcast in front of live audiences around the country.
. Men, Women & Children R DRAMA
After a promising start, director Jason Reitman's career has taken a sharp downward trajectory, as he follows his first critical failure (Labor Day) with this far worse film, an adaptation of Chad Kultgen's novel about the dangers of life in the connected age. The ensemble cast includes Adam Sandler, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jennifer Garner, Ansel Elgort, and Judy Greer.
Additional limited releases (in alphabetical order) . Bitter Honey NR DOCUMENTARY
. The Blue Room NR FOREIGN/THRILLER
. Breakup Buddies NR FOREIGN/ROM-COM
. Copenhagen NR DRAMA
. The Culture High NR DOCUMENTARY
. The Decent One NR DOCUMENTARY
. Drive Hard NR ACTION/COMEDY
. For Those in Peril NR DRAMA
. The Hero of Color City G ANIMATION/FAMILY
. Inner Demons NR HORROR
. The Joe Show NR DOCUMENTARY
. Last Hijack NR ANIMATION/DOCUMENTARY
. The Liberator NR FOREIGN/DRAMA
. The Little Tin Man NR COMEDY/DRAMA
. Nas: Time Is Illmatic NR DOCUMENTARY/MUSIC
. Purgatorio: A Journey Into the Heart of the Border NR DOCUMENTARY
. The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin NR DOCUMENTARY
. Stephen King's A Good Marriage R THRILLER
. The Supreme Price NR DOCUMENTARY
. Waiting for August NR DOCUMENTARY
All movies now in theaters... | Recent DVD/Blu-ray releases... | Recent streaming releases...
New trailers and updates for upcoming films
The first look at Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice
In Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice, Joaquin Phoenix stars as Doc Sportello, a private eye passing his days in Gordita Beach, CA at the end of the psychedelic ’60s. When his ex-girlfriend (Katherine Waterston) comes calling with a story about a plot to kidnap her current billionaire boyfriend (Eric Roberts) and throw him in the nut house, Doc can’t keep himself from helping out an old flame. With a cast that includes Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio Del Toro, Martin Short, Jena Malone, Michael K. Williams, Maya Rudolph, Jillian Bell, and musician Joanna Newsom (who narrates the film and the first trailer), Inherent Vice premieres tomorrow at the New York Film Festival, so be on the lookout for early reviews this weekend in advance of its December 12 theatrical release.
Next up for Pixar: Inside Out
Pete Docter (Up, Monsters, Inc.) directs this story of a young girl named Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) who is struggling to adapt to a new life in San Francisco. But the real focus is inside Riley’s head as her emotions—Joy (Amy Poehler), Fear (Bill Hader), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and Sadness (Phyllis Smith)–battle for control, Herman's Head-style. While the majority of the footage in this trailer is from Pixar’s past (and here is a theory about that), it’s still a good tease for the potential of Inside Out, which heads to theaters on June 19, 2015.
A look through the scope at American Sniper
In American Sniper, Bradley Cooper stars as Chris Kyle, a Navy Seal sniper who recorded the most kills of any American military sniper in history. This adaptation of Kyle’s autobiography was initially slated for Steven Spielberg to direct, but when he couldn't make his vision work within the budget, Spielberg pulled out, resulting in Clint Eastwood stepping in to take over the project. Sienna Miller co-stars as Kyle’s wife, while Jake McDorman, Luke Grimes, Navid Negahan, and Keir O'Donnell fill out the cast. Look for American Sniper in select cities on December 25th before it expands nationwide on January 16, 2015.
H3r3's a trail3r for Tak3n
Bryan Mills’ particular set of skills (or are they really Liam Neeson’s?) come in handy once again when he’s accused of killing his ex-wife (Famke Janssen) in this third and presumably final installment in the Taken franchise. Taken 2 director Olivier Megaton return,s as do writers Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, plus co-stars Maggie Grace (as Mills' daughter Kim) and Jon Gries and Leland Orser as his helpful buddies. Forest Whitaker is new to the franchise as the detective providing Mills’ backstory. Tak3n opens on January 9, 2015.
Interstellar: New trailer, new dates
The final trailer for Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar provides some solid new footage, but the news that accompanied the trailer’s release is actually more interesting. Certain theaters will get Interstellar a few days early, on Wednesday, November 5 (plus a few evening screenings on the 4th), but only those projecting the film in 70mm IMAX or conventional 70mm and 35mm film formats. Theaters with digital projection will stick to the original release date of Friday, November 7th (a fact they are not too happy about). A list of theaters showing the film early can be found here, and this explains the technical specifications of the film. IMAX, 70mm or the combination of the two sounds like the way to see it when Matthew McConaughey says, “Those aren’t mountains. They’re waves.” Oh boy.
Exodus: Locusts & Frogs
To say that Exodus: Gods and Kings looks epic might be an understatement. Ridley Scott’s take on Moses (Christian Bale) clashing with Ramses (Joel Edgerton) and leading hundreds of thousands of slaves out of Egypt combines old-school massive Hollywood scale with cutting-edge special effects and plenty of action. Aaron Paul, Ben Kingsley, John Turturro, Ben Mendelsohn, and Sigourney Weaver also star in this December 12th release.
Russell Crowe directs and stars in The Water Diviner
Russell Crowe’s feature directorial debut tells the story of an Australian farmer (Crowe) who travels to Turkey after the Battle of Gallipoli in hopes of finding his three missing sons. Written by Andrew Knight and Andrew Anastasios and co-starring Olga Kurylenko, Jai Courtney, Yılmaz Erdoğan, Cem Yılmaz, and Ryan Corr, The Water Diviner will be released in the U.S. by The Weinstein Company, though a date has not been set.
Jude Law stars in Black Sea
In Black Sea, Kevin Macdonald (How I Live Now, The Last King of Scotland) directs Jude Law as a rogue submarine captain who recruits a crew of misfits to go after Nazi gold rumored to be lost in the depths of the Black Sea. Written by Dennis Kelly (whose British TV series Utopia will be remade next year for HBO with David Fincher directing and Gillian Flynn writing), and with a cast that includes Scoot McNairy and Ben Mendelsohn, Black Sea comes to theaters on January 23, 2015.
Shower buddy, daddy or pal?
The hapless trio of 2011’s Horrible Bosses—Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis—try to go into business for themselves in Horrible Bosses 2, but when they get swindled by the father-and-son team of Christoph Waltz and Chris Pine, they devise a plan to recoup their money. (Hint: it involves kidnapping the son.) The twist comes when Pine’s Rex wants in on the ransom scheme. Sean Anders (That’s My Boy) takes over directing duties from Seth Gordon, but Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx, and Kevin Spacey are back in this November 26th release.
A second look at The Theory of Everything
After The Theory of Everything premiered in Toronto, awards talk began for Eddie Redmayne’s performance as Stephen Hawking. The latest trailer picks up on this momentum as it touts his performance as well as that of Felicity Jones, who plays Jane Wilde, Hawking’s first wife and whose memoir, Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, is the source for the film. Written by Anthony McCarten and directed by James Marsh (Man on Wire), The Theory of Everything opens on November 7th.
John Wick is back
Early reviews have been pretty good for this October 24th release starring Keanu Reeves as an ex-hitman coming out of retirement when his dog is killed and his car is stolen. The strong supporting cast—Willem Dafoe, Ian McShane, Bridget Moynahan, Adrianne Palicki, Jason Isaacs, and Game of Thrones’ Alfie Allen—and a recently announced IMAX release bodes well for stunt man Chad Stahelski’s directorial debut.
Short takes
Coming to VOD and theaters on November 7th, 21 Years: Richard Linklater looks at the director’s career.
Check out the red-band trailer for the dark comedy Home Sweet Hell, which stars Katherine Heigl, Patrick Wilson, Jordana Brewster, Kevin McKidd and James Belushi.
Here’s a new UK trailer for The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Enigma Code cracker Alan Turing.
News and notes
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend, the semi-sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, will premiere simultaneously on Netflix and IMAX screens on August 28, 2015, bypassing conventional theaters altogether.
Netflix also announced a deal with Adam Sandler and Happy Madison Productions to be the exclusive home of four new movies starring Sandler. (Could Netflix finally get its first Razzie?) - Variety
Babak Najafi (Easy Money: Hard to Kill) will replace departed director Fredrik Bond on the Olympus Has Fallen sequel London Has Fallen. - Heat Vision
Aidan Gillen (Littlefinger in Game of Thrones) will play Janson, the main villain in The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials, and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) will play Jorge, the leader of a group of survivors. - Heat Vision
Keegan-Michael Key and Regina Hall will play the “perfect family” opposite Ed Helms and Christina Applegate as the Griswolds in the Vacation reboot. - Variety
Matt Bomer has joined Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in Shane Black’s The Nice Guys. - Deadline
Steven Quale (Into the Storm) will direct the The Lake, an action-thriller written by Luc Besson about a group of Navy SEALS discovering treasure in a lake in wartime Serbia. - Variety
Warner Bros. is looking to reboot I Am Legend without Will Smith. - Deadline
Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) will star alongside Idris Elba in the action-thriller Bastille Day. - Variety
Daniel Radcliffe will play Michael Caine’s son in Now You See Me 2. - HeyUGuys
Eric Bana will join Chris Pine and Casey Affleck in director Craig Gillespie’s 1952 Coast Guard drama The Finest Hours. - Deadline
Benjamin Walker and Teresa Palmer will star in the adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ The Choice. - Variety
In The Godmother, Catherine Zeta-Jones will play Griselda Blanco, the only woman to rise through the ranks of Colombia’s Medellin drug cartel. - Deadline
Leonardo DiCaprio will not play Steve Jobs in Danny Boyle’s planed biopic, but who will? Christian Bale, Matt Damon, and Bradley Cooper are on Sony’s wishlist.
Ruben Fleischer will return to direct Zombieland 2. Dave Callahan (The Expendables) will write the script. - Deadline
The classic video game Tetris is coming to the big screen. (Finally!) - WSJ
Rovio announced that Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, and Danny McBride will voice the three main birds in the Angry Birds movie. Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph, Peter Dinklage, Keegan-Michael Key, Kate McKinnon, Tony Hale, Ike Barinholtz, Hannibal Buress, Jillian Bell and others will also lend their voices.
Jeff Daniels will play the head of NASA in Ridley Scott’s The Martian. - Heat Vision
Pierce Brosnan & Ashley Greene will star in the thriller Urge. Brosnan will play the creator of a new drug that Greene and her friends try. - Deadline & THR
Ben Affleck is in talks to play an assassin in The Accountant. Gavin O’Connor (Warrior) is the favorite to direct. - Variety
Joaquin Phoenix will not play Doctor Strange for Marvel. - Deadline
Dwayne Johnson is attached to star in the big-screen action movie adaptation of Baywatch for directors Sean Anders and John Morris (Horrible Bosses 2). - THR
