Back in 2003, a big budget movie called SWAT starring Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson was released.  Naturally, it was terrible, but it revolved around a SWAT team traveling it an armored car escorting a major drug lord. Armored is an upcoming movie that involves a team of some type, also escorting something, this time being $42 million. SWAT was the first movie that came to my mind when I saw the Armored trailer. I’m not saying this will scrape the bottom of the barrel, like SWAT did, but Armored has had the displeasure of being delayed.  It was originally going to be released in September, but was later pushed to December. It’s not always a good thing when a movie is delayed, but Shutter Island was also pushed back from October to mid-February as well and Martin Scorsese directed that. Zodiac would be an example of a movie that was delayed, but still came out perfectly well, so hopefully this won’t hurt Armored’s cause.

"This is my 'Kubrick' face. What do you think?"

Ty Hackett (Columbus Short, Stomp the Yard) is a young security guard who is about to lose his house to the bank. He works with a crew of guards delivering money in an armored car. When the company denies Ty more hours, he is short on cash and will most certainly lose his house. Plans change when a veteran guard named Cochrane (Matt Dillon, Crash) tells Ty that he and the other guards plan on stealing $42 million in cash they’re going to escort. Ty initially wants nothing to do with it, but wants to save his house. He goes with the plan, just as long as no one gets hurt. While stealing their armored car, they drive to an abandon factory to collect the money. Things change when the guards shoot a police officer (Milo Ventimiglia, “Heroes”) and leave him for dead.  Ty disapproves of the idea, creating friction among the group when he tries to help the officer. Ty soon barricades himself into one of the armored cars with the money and injured cop. He must devise a plan to escape with the armored car full of money before the crooked guards can get to him.

The movie co-stars Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), Jean Reno (Couples Retreat), Amaury Nolasco (“Prison Break”), Fred Ward, (Management) and Skeet Ulrich (Chill Factor).  Armored is directed by Hungarian director Nimrod Antal, whose previous work includes the horror film, Vacancy.  He will also direct the upcoming sequel to the Predator series called Predators. James V. Simpson wrote the screenplay and this will be his debut project.

"Go ahead and scoop up the burned, trashy dollar bills we've worked so hard for. I'm outta here."

I’m not too excited by the trailer, but I’m sure it will deliver the goods of an action/crime film. It features a host of good actors in Dillon, Fishburne and Reno and Antal’s presence should give it a boost as the film was a big push toward him being named director of the already anticipated Predators.

Armored opens December 4^th.

The renowned English children’s author, Roald Dahl, has had the majority of his novels and stories adapted from page to screen, resulting in Nicolas Roeg’s The Withes, Henry Selick’s James and the Giant Peach and Danny DeVito’s Matilda, as well as Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the alternatively titled Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Mel Stuart in 1971.

Dahl’s works have this distinctive air of offbeat whimsy and substance that haven’t quite been matched on screen by a filmmaker with the same posture and lifework characteristics as Wes Anderson – although Tim Burton would certainly qualify, as well, his film was a remake of Mel Stuart’s 1971 classic. With The Fantastic Mr. Fox, cult flag-bearer and Criterion wonder-boy Wes Anderson has adapted the story of a thievish family fox, his many talented friends, and his neighboring farmers who disapprove of their survival techniques, which involve stealing chickens from their farms.

Anderson made it big in 1996 and 1998, with arguably his best works, Bottle Rocket and Rushmore, where the director established his style of dark, dry humor mixed in with genuine emotion and sensationalized, yet relatable characters – often played by Wes Anderson mainstays Owen and Luke Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray. This culminated with The Royal Tenenbaums in 2001, which brought all of the director’s fashionable and identifiable idiosyncrasies into a comparatively big-budgeted, all-star production that put all other dysfunctional families to shame with its bleak, yet once again, relatable family portrait. Now, he brings his old family (Schwartzman, Wilson, Murray lend their voices) in with the new (George Clooney as Mr. Fox, Meryl Streep as Mrs. Fox) and ventures into the realm of stop-motion animation for the first time in his career.

Director Wes Anderson with the cast of "The Fantastic Mr. Fox."

Anderson signed on as director after the film rights were bought for Roald Dahl’s novel in 2004, but two years later, Henry Selick (the animation director at the time) had to leave the project to focus on his adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s “Coraline” – released earlier this year. Like any live-action Anderson film, The Fantastic Mr. Fox will not appear as traditional stop-motion animation, but since the majority of shooting was done in this tradition, it is classified as such. Voicework, hardly within the confines and comforts of a cozy studio, was recorded pretty much anywhere, according to Anderson. “Well, for this film we recorded all the voices on locations. We went out in a forest, we went in an attic, we went in a stable. We went underground for some things. There was a great spontaneity in the recordings because of that, I think.”**

The script, which was written by Anderson and Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Margot at the Wedding) looks to have all of the deadpan witty bantering that Anderson fans have come to expect and marks the first time the two writer/directors have collaborated since 2004’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. The PG-animated film premiered at the London Film Festival on October 14th to warm reactions and begins its platform release on November 13th with a New York, Los Angeles debut.

**quote from RT article

You know, I like to consider myself a well-rounded individual.  I like to read things, other than just blogs or sports stories on occasion.  In order to actually feel like I am reading, learning, letting my imagination go, sometimes it takes a book to do the trick.  An actual book, I say!  A novel idea in this day and age, I know. So, one day a few years ago, I decided to read the Cormac McCarthy novel “The Road.”  The Road is a post-apocalyptic story of a father and son, merely named ‘the father’ and ‘the son’ if I recall.  (Note: IMDB lists them as ‘The Man’ and ‘The Boy’ so I might be wrong. A first, I know.)   It details a world where few humans are left and it is a true fight for survival, for those that actually are alive.

Its a pretty slow moving tale, that basically captures a desolate landscape where the father’s love for his son is the only thing that keeps them going.  There is hope that as they travel the United States, there is a safe haven for humans, where food is abundant and there is some modicum of comfort and possible procreation, at the edge of the ocean.  That is essentially the premise for the story and as I read the book, all the while I pictured what I would see as I traveled alongside the duo on their journey.  Well, the trailer for the film adaptation of the best selling novel “epicly renders the ruins of our country that was depicted in the book.  From the clothing to the post apocalyptic sets, everything looks spot on.”  I said that in an earlier post (the trailer is there too).

'The Man' and 'The Boy' have only eachother in "The Road".

I was interested in seeing an adaptation for the film, because even though I didn’t love the book, I wanted to see if the film could be adequately adapted.  The cast for the film includes Viggo Mortensen as the father, Kodi Smit-McPhee as the son (a little older than I imagined in the book), and Charlize Theron.  Supporting cast includes an old TV favorite, Michael K. Williams from “The Wire,” who played, the epic, Omar Little in that series.    That makes for some pretty strong characerization I would think.

I knew it was a difficult film to produce and to try to get people to see; the subject matter proves that, especially in these escapist times.  John Hillcoat, of The Proposition fame, will direct.  While I haven’t yet seen that Western, despite our esteemed writer hitting us with a Film U Missed on the movie, an early review from Variety ripped The Road.  This was not an encouraging sign, claiming it derailed early on any Oscar hopes.  We wonder about that though, in our Oscar Bait Fall Film Preview.  Couple that with the delays the film has seen (it was originally supposed to be released last year) and you start to get a little concerned.  However, I still have high hopes for the piece, at least as a rendition of what I read.  I have less interest in whether or not the film has an appropriate ending or makes someone feel happy about what they have witnessed, but rather just want a sense of a strong adaptation more than anything.  I still think that it can provide this and I, hopefully like all of you who have read the book (if you haven’t, give it a shot while there is still time), am eagerly anticipating the films release on the big screen (finally!).

The Road winds its way into theaters on November 25th. And for our full early review, you can read that here.

Daniel Day-Lewis notched the Best Actor award at the Oscars for his triumphant performance in There Will Be Blood. It appears his next role will certainly have that kind of Oscar buzz again with his follow-up, Nine. This will be the third major film this year to feature the word nine in the title, which is District 9 and 9.  This Nine will be a musical adapted from the 1982 Tony Award-winning play of the same name. The play is derived from a book written by Arthur Kopit and Mario Fretti, which is a loose remake of Federico Fellini’s 8½. The original Broadway play starred the late actor Raul Julia (The Addams Family) and netted five Tonys, including Best Musical.

"I've hired photographers to help document the exact moment I started to die from lung cancer."

The story is somewhat similar to 8½ and will star Day-Lewis as Guido Contini, a director who’s just turned 40 and has hit a creative slump. He is trying to complete his next project, but his romantic entanglements have halted his process. With the pressure of finishing his movie, he must balance his relationship with his wife Luisa (Marion Cotillard, Public Enemies) and his mistress Carla (Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona). He must also deal with his lead actress Claudia (Nicole Kidman, Australia), his costume designer Liliane (Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal), journalist Stephanie (Kate Hudson, Fool’s Gold), a prostitute from his past La Saraghina (Stacy Ferguson, Planet Terror) and his mother (Sophia Loren, Two Women).

Rob Marshall directs Nine and this will not be his first musical.  He also directed Chicago, which ended up winning Best Picture at the Oscars in 2002.  The late Oscar winner Anthony Minghella (The English Patient) and Michael Tolkin (The Player) provided the screenplay.

Girls in lingerie, spreading their legs. Also known as Clay Aiken's worst nightmare.

I thought Day-Lewis was genius in There Will Be Blood and can’t wait to see how he’ll follow it up.  I’m not the biggest fan of musicals, although I do have exceptions with Singin’ in the Rain and Sweeney Todd.  I also thought Fellini’s 8 ½ was very overrated, but having the similar story in musical format may actually make it an entertaining watch. I liked Marshall’s Chicago, and having him as director will benefit it greatly. We’ve already featured the film in our Oscar Bait post and the film should be successful in the box office, considering musicals have made a comeback in recent years.

Nine will be released in New York and Los Angeles on December 19^th, followed by a wide release on Christmas.

We as Americans, love the comedies of our home country, England. In recent years, many films from across the pond have found success in America. Films like Love Actually, Bridget Jones and Notting Hill have all enjoyed success with audiences in the U.K. as well as here in the states. Is it our love of their dry humor and accents? Or is it our love for that oh so dashing Hugh Grant that these movies are hits here?  I can’t be certain, but besides the Hugh Grant factor, these movies share another common trait. All of them have been written by writer/director Richard Curtis.

Pirate Radio is set in 1966 Britain, when the BBC was only playing a few hours a week of any form of music. As we all know, the kids of the 60s would not stand for this. They wanted their rock music played constantly. In the movie, this is exactly what they get, as a band of rebel DJ’s begin broadcasting rock n’ roll music twenty four hours a day. They are broadcasting this music from a ship off the British coast in international waters. The British government doesn’t take too kindly to the idea of these “pirates” defying their rules, and begins to try and shut the pirate radio station down.

Lookalikes from Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

The cast for Pirate Radio is a who’s who of British actors, that includes Bill Nighy (Underworld), Rhys Ifans (Enduring Love), Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz) and Emma Thompson (Nanny McPhee). The movie also stars Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Doubt). This film has a top notch cast, every actor in this is watchable in just about everything they are in. For me, this is especially true of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who I’ve been a huge fan of since seeing him in Boogie Nights.

The film’s director, Richard Curtis came to prominence after he received an Oscar nod for writing the screenplay for 1994’s massive hit Four Weddings and a Funeral. Since then, Curtis has written a number of hit British comedies, mostly of the romantic variety. Pirate Radio marks his second film as writer/director after 2003’s Love Actually.

I'd sure like to get a peek at what they are looking at.

This movie was already released in the U.K. on April 1^st. It was due for release in U.S. Theaters on August 28^th, but has switched distributors from Universal to Focus Features, which handles its smaller independent releases. The film hasn’t fared as well as Curtis’ other films, the budget for Pirate Radio was around $50 million, and so far it has only taken in about half of that internationally. The title was also changed from The Boat That Rocked in the U.K. to Pirate Radio in the U.S.

With the films release date change and a distributor switch, there is also talk of the studio trimming about 20 minutes from the films run time. All of this seems to spell trouble for the film, but it looks like a very fun comedy that boasts a lot of great acting talent and a psychedelic soundtrack of 60s pop hits.

You can tune into Pirate Radio on November 13th.  The trailer is here for your viewing pleasure.

In some ancient cultures, the year 2012 marks the end of their calendars.  There are some that believe that once the calendar ends, an apocalyptic disaster will engulf the world.  According to the Mesoamerican Long Court Calendar, it says years will stop happening around late December of 2012.  The calendar presents 5,126 years and 2012 is listed as the last year.  Most notably, the Mayan culture used a similar calendar.  Scholars have questioned this notion and say this theory misrepresents the Mayans. Of course, this doesn’t stop Hollywood from grasping onto this belief and turning it into a major studio production helmed by director Roland Emmerich.  Emmerich, of course, has been down the “apocalyptic/world is going to end” road before. Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow have featured similar plots of the world ending and it doesn’t seem to stop Emmerich from visiting it again. 2012 will be in a similar vein, featuring a fast-paced story and dazzling special effects.

Believe it or not, there are actually actors in this film.

It’s December 2012.  There are mass suicides happening in Central America and rioting in fear of the end of the world in response to the Mayan calendar ending on December 21^st.  Many believe the world will end soon and people are bracing for the worst as the 21^st approaches.  When the 21^st does come around, the worst does indeed happen, when huge tsunamis and earthquakes start to destroy the major continents. John Cusack stars as Jackson Curtis (a reverse 50 Cent?), a science fiction writer and part-time limousine driver. Jackson, a divorcee, is on vacation with his kids when his RV is suddenly hit by meteorites falling from the sky.  Soon, Curtis and his family realize the whole world is experiencing doomsday.  While trying to survive, there is a U.S. government project called “The Institute of Human Continuity,” which will use ships to maintain the human race. Curtis and his family must try to survive and take advantage of the government project before the ultimate apocalypse destroys the human race.

The movie co-stars Amanda Peet (Syriana) as Jackson’s ex-wife, Danny Glover (Shooter) as the President, Chiwetel Ejiofor (American Gangster) as the President’s science advisor, Oliver Platt (Frost/Nixon) as the Chief of Staff and Woody Harrelson (Zombieland) as a man who prophesies the end of the world.  Mentioned before, Roland Emmerich directed 2012 and co-wrote the script with Harald Kloser.  Kloser also composed the film’s music.

L.A. traffic will probably be worse than normal today.

This will undoubtedly be one of the biggest releases of the fall and should be huge in the box office, especially since a five-minute clip of the movie has already been released in order to drum up anticipation.  The movie was originally slated as a summer release, but was delayed since Sony felt the summer market was too busy. I’m not a fan of Roland Emmerich and have disliked some of his movies (Universal Soldier and Stargate for example), but 2012 looks entertaining.  The five-minute scene was insane, but I’m also hesitant since Emmerich is directing it.

2012 will be released November 13^th.

Based on a non-fiction book by Jon Ronson of the same name, The Men Who Stare at Goats explores and examines the U.S. Military’s research and experimentation with psychic and paranormal powers over the last three decades, carrying over into the present situation in Iraq. Much like Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant!, the film, adapted by Peter Straughan, takes an unbelievable true-life account and turns into a farcical comedy with a big-name cast. The title is to be taken literally – referring to attempts by so-called psychic soldiers (aka “Jedi Warriors”) to kill goats by simply staring at them.

The Men Who Stare at Goats also reunites frequent collaborators and Smoke House production company co-founders George Clooney and Grant Heslov, who have worked together on Leatherheads and Good Night and Good Luck, both directed by Clooney himself. Now, the director’s chair belongs to Heslov, who is helming his first feature film since the golf comedy, Par 6, went undistributed in 2002.

George Clooney plays Lyn Cassidy, a self-anointed "Jedi Warrior."

Clooney receives top billing as Lyn Cassidy, a former U.S. military psychic soldier who has recently been reactivated before running into Bob Wilton, a reporter stumbling onto the story of a lifetime, played by Ewan McGregor. The two then join forces in a crazed and comical “adventure” across the Iraq War landscape. Jeff Bridges plays Bill Django, the founder of the psychic program, while Larry Hooper, a former psychic soldier who now runs an Iraqi prison camp, is portrayed by Kevin Spacey. It’s also worth mentioning a supporting role by the great Stephen Lang (Public Enemies, Avatar), who now feels synonymous with the name Michael Mann, at least in my eyes.

Among many firsts, The Men Who Stare at Goats has got to be the first Iraq War-set comedy. The film is also shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Elswit (“There Will Be Blood”), who will attempt to substitute the landscapes of New Mexico, California and Puerto Rico for the Iraq-set locations. Following strong, solid buzz from the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals in early September, The Men Who Stare at Goats should provide smart, escapist adult entertainment for those queasy of Vince Vaughn’s recent output when it releases through Overture Films on November 6th.

One of the most common questions people ask each other, especially in the economic downturn we are currently living in, is “What would you do for $1 million dollars?” This seems like a relatively easy question until you throw murder in the mix. Would you kill a stranger for a guaranteed million dollars?

This is the question that Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly poses in his new film, The Box. The Box is based on a short-story ”Button, Button” by author Richard Matheson, who also wrote “I Am Legend.” The film takes place in Virginia, circa 1976. It centers on a couple who are struggling with their finances. Norma Lewis (Cameron Diaz) is a teacher at a private school, and her husband Arthur (James Marsden) works for NASA. They are your average young suburban couple who, along with their young son, are just trying to make ends meet.

Cameron's hairstyle in this film could equally serve her as well in "Charlie's Angels 3."

Their lives are changed forever when a stranger (Frank Langella), with a scarred face, arrives at their doorstep with a mysterious box in his arms. The stranger tells Norma and Arthur that if they push the button inside the box, two things will occur. First, a person who they have never met will die, and secondly, they will receive a briefcase containing one million dollars. The couple is only given a mere 24 hours to contemplate this moral dilemma.

As mentioned, J.Richard Kelly, who directed the cult-hit Donnie Darko (which I personally never got into) as well as Southland Tales, takes the reigns to helm again here. While I have yet to see Southland Tales, the fact that it (virtually) went straight to DVD doesn’t exactly bode well, in my opinion. I did like some of the performances in “Darko” but couldn’t get into the film for whatever reason. I’m sure I’m not alone in my opinion of Darko, and Richard Kelly seems be aware of this reaction, because with The Box he’s aiming for a wider audience. The director says “My hope is to make a film that is incredibly suspenseful and broadly commercial, while still retaining my artistic sensibility.”

"Honey, Where did the instructions go? They were just right here..."

This remains to be seen, however I do like his casting choices with Marsden and Frank Langella. I’m not a fan of Cameron Diaz in her more dramatic roles, I don’t think she has the chops necessary to pull off more dramatic films, and she should stick to lighter romantic comedies and Charlie’s Angels type roles. I’m hoping for the best with The Box, as the concept is a great idea for a film, but the film’s trailer seems to be selling a very different film than the one I’m sure we will be seeing come November. The use of the Saw theme in the trailer also seemed out of place. Does every action/creepy movie automatically have to use that same theme? I find it distracting in anything but the Saw films.

Nevertheless, audiences can open The Box on November 6th.

“A Christmas Carol” is perhaps the most famous and most beloved holiday story ever written.  Charles Dickens first wrote the story in 1843 and features the recognizable character of Ebenezer Scrooge and his popular catchphrase of “Bah Humbug,” Since then, the story has been adapted several times into plays, audio recordings, TV movies (including animated) and of course feature films (also sometimes animated).  There have also been parodies of the story like 1988’s Scrooged with Bill Murray or this years Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.  Robert Zemeckis’s upcoming version of Carol will feature the same familiar story, but using modern performance capture computer animation.  This process was also used in Beowulf and Zemeckis’ other holiday film, The Polar Express.  It will be featured in IMAX 3-D and Disney Digital 3-D, when it hits theaters.

Between this and 'Up,' Disney is banking on the likes of crotchety old men this year.

This version of A Christmas Carol will star Jim Carrey (Yes Man) as Scrooge.  He will also play an additional three roles as the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.  Ebenezer Scrooge is a stingy moneylender who owns his own business.  He is cranky and hates anything that has to do with Christmas.  When it is not Christmas time, he makes everything and everyone unhappy.  After closing up his shop on the night of Christmas Eve, he is approached by the ghost of his dead business partner, Jacob Marley (Gary Oldman, The Dark Knight).  Oldman will also play additional roles as Bob Cratchit (Scrooge’s ill-treated shop clerk) and his son and perhaps the second most recognizable character of Carol, Tiny Tim.  Marley tells him that he will be approached by three ghosts of Christmas.  Scrooge brushes him off, but is soon visited by the three ghosts. They show Scrooge his past life and the mistakes he made in hopes of changing his feelings toward Christmas and his views on life altogether.

The movie also co-stars Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride), Colin Firth (Mama Mia!), Bob Hoskins (Super Mario Bros.) and Robin Wright Penn (State of Play). As previously mentioned, A Christmas Carol, is written and directed by Robert Zemeckis and he has done some the history’s most beloved film in Back to the Future and the Oscar-winning Forrest Gump.

It's not paranormal activity that scares Scrooge, but more the ghostly color combo of blue and green.

This should be a fun and warm family movie.  Plus is offers a unique animated technology to it and Jim Carrey is pretty much perfect to play the infamous lead character of Scrooge. I like a lot of Zemeckis’ work and this looks to be huge, especially since it will be released near the holidays. Can’t get enough of that Christmas cheer.

A Christmas Carol opens November 6^th.

Jared and Jerusha Hess, a husband and wife team, first broke into the pop culture atmosphere with their surprise debut hit Napoleon Dynamite in 2004. Dynamite garnered a huge cult following and instantly turned them into overnight stars.  Dynamite also became one of those movies you either hated or loved. Jared, handles the directing and Jerusha, who co-write together, followed Dynamite with Nacho Libre in 2006. Libre didn’t match the same buzz as its predecessor, but continued to cement the Hess’s as a big name in the comedy genre.  They now follow it with their third feature, Gentleman Broncos.

Lightbulbs don't appear over his head when Chevalier has an idea, it's swords and shields.

Broncos tells the story of a teenage loner named Benjamin (Michael Angarano, Snow Angels). He is an aspiring science fiction writer and decides to attend a fantasy convention called the Cletus Festival to display his work and to generate new ideas. While at the festival, he meets famous sci-fi writer Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement, “Flight of the Conchords”). Ronald (whose voice sounds a lot like the late great James Mason) is struggling for ideas for his next book and his publishing company is threatening to drop him if he doesn’t come up with something soon. When Benjamin submits his story “Bronco” to Ronald hoping to get published, Ronald steals his story and simply change the names of the characters.  He renames the title character and changes the title of the book to “The Chronicles of Brutus & Balzaak.”  Benjamin is extremely upset when he finds out his story was stolen and develops a personal vendetta to reveal Ronald as a fraud and inflict physical pain upon him. The Hess’s also devote scenes to make the Bronco/Brutus character come to life, who is played by Sam Rockwell (Moon).

The movie also co-stars Jennifer Coolidge (Best in Show), who is perhaps famous for playing the “MILF” in the American Pie series. Gentlemen Broncos is directed by Jared Hess and co-written by him and Jerusha Hess.

Rockwell brags about his hair to the baldie.

I loved Napoleon Dynamite and it will definitely be hard to top. The cast seems top-notch, but the trailer seems so-so to me.  The Hess’s made an absolute classic with their first film and hopefully they can repeat that success this time out.

Gentlemen Broncos opens October 30^th.