Review: Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Inherent Vice' starring Joaquin Phoenix

Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice is a film better off experienced than understood. While the plot of it is pretty simple on paper, the ins and outs of Thomas Pynchon's novel weave circuitously around a gaggle of eccentric characters, a frequently lollygagging mystery, and you can practically smell the cloud of weed smoke wafting through every frame. This is exactly how Pynchon envisioned his exploration of the psychedelic hippie L.A. scene of the 1970s , and Anderson has done perfect justice to that vision. Inherent Vice is one long contact high, and though it may be fun at times the buzz eventually wears off.

I've been fascinated by the evolution Anderson's career has taken. He's long been my favorite filmmaker, but the Anderson I fell in love with; the guy who gave us Altman-esque ensembles like Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch Drunk Love has slowly disappeared. His films are have always been small of scope but thematically sprawling, but with There will Be Blood and The Master he's taken on a more commanding approach, emphasizing mood and a powerful lead performance. Inherent Vice fits somewhere in the middle, but the tone is definitely loopier than anything Anderson has done before, which is a good thing.

Pynchon's novel is basically a jab at the soft underbelly of the hippie generation's waning moments; when those who had been "against the man" were now being co-opted willingly by "the man". It was a darker time than many realized; perhaps too high or stoned to notice how the world was changing around them. There's artificiality to most of the wild denizens of Inherent Vice, with the exception of drugged-out detective Larry "Doc" Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix), who is like our goofy guide through one long acid trip. Whether you go in with your brain turned off or on auto-pilot, the plot is never going to coalesce into anything that makes a lick of sense. The lack of cohesion could prove as frustrating as a friend who messes up the "puff puff pass" rotation, but those who are in the right mood will find it a pretty groovy ride.

So where to start? Sportello, sporting a mean set of mutton chops, is a pretty laid back cat even after he gets hired by an ex-girlfriend (Katherine Waterston in an unforgettably alluring performance) to find her missing billionaire boyfriend (Eric Roberts). It isn't long before she goes missing, too, and soon Sportello is up to his eyeballs in weirdoes. There's a sell-out musician (Owen Wilson), an oddball dentist (Martin Short), mysterious organizations of ill-repute, and Sportello's flat-topped rule-breaking enemy Detective "Bigfoot" Bjornsen (Josh Brolin). Each encounter leads him from the beaches of L.A. to the seedy side of the counterculture generation, revealing a dark conspiracy connected to the upper echelons of society. The Man!!!

Inherent Vice is too incoherent and overlong to be completely satisfying, but it's Anderson's handling of the atmosphere that is just right. Like a mix of The Big Lebowski and The Big Sleep, its charm lies in being both ridiculous and convoluted. The constantly swerving plot and endless red herrings pile up to the point that you can't help but laugh. And right in the middle of it all is Phoenix's performance as the perpetually-dazed Sportello. He's not quite a cartoon character, but there are times when he comes off like an outcast from Airplane! or Top Secret! Phoenix never quite goes over the line, though, and Sportello remains a fascinating character throughout, one who is just level-headed enough to see how the world is changing for the worse. While the star-studded cast also includes Reese Witherspoon, Benicia Del Toro, Jena Malone, and Maya Rudolph, most of them are pretty forgettable. On the other hand, Waterston leaves a seductive imprint in her few appearances that lingers throughout, while Brolin is hilarious as the comically rigid Bjornsen.Coupled with Jonny Greenwood's diverse, era authentic score and Robert Elswit's crisp cinematography, the film ranks as one of Anderson's most beautiful and well-staged. Inherent Vice demands that you be in a certain kind of trippy mood to fully embrace it, and some will simply never be in the right head space for that.

 Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Reese Witherspoon Reunites with Alexander Payne for 'Downsizing'

Although Alexander Payne had turned a few heads with his debut feature, Citizen Ruth, it was the Oscar-nominated screenplay for his second film Election that really put him on the map. That was way back in 1999, and the star of that film was Reese Witherspoon in the unforgettable role of chronic overachiever Tracy Flick. They haven't worked together since, but wasn't for lack of trying. Witherspoon was to be a part of Payne's sci-fi comedy Downsizing until he gave up on it about seven years ago. But now that the project is back on Witherspoon is returning, too.

Witherspoon is joining Matt Damon who came aboard to star in a couple of months ago. Payne and Jim Taylor co-wrote the Downsizing script, with the social satire set in a future when people are being shrunk down to prevent the rapid depletion of natural resources, Damon plays a husband who volunteers with his wife to be shrunk, thinking they'll have a better life.

It's unclear what role Witherspoon will take but presumably it would be the same one she would have played before. Meryl Streep, Paul Giamatti, and Sacha Baron Cohen were to be a part of the earlier attempt but as of now it looks like Witherspoon is the only one coming back. [Deadline]

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The 12 Days of Christmas – Day 6: ‘American Psycho’

For the most part, our 12 Days of Christmas series here at Punch Drunk Critics has been about films that are largely centered around Christmas or set during Christmas time, like my previous picks, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Batman Returns. But with American Psycho, I’m veering off a bit – because the cult classic only has one scene about Christmas, and yet it’s a perfect distillation of everything the movie is saying about yuppie culture, about New York City, about audacious wealth, about the absurdity of the upper class. In barely 90 seconds, director and screenwriter Mary Harron, adapting Bret Easton Ellis’s original novel, accomplishes all that. It’s an impressive feat.

So let’s jump right into it. Here is the scene in question:

At this point, we’ve already met Patrick Bateman, and we already know why this movie is called “American Psycho.” He’s an image-obsessed, intensely competitive, and everyone-hating person, safely ensconced by his wealth and by his ignorant, self-obsessed yuppie friends. Look at how everyone in this party is barely talking to each other, but more at each other – who hasn’t experienced that at a Christmas party? Do you really care what your co-worker’s second cousin’s girlfriend did for her wedding reception? Or how your neighbor’s brother’s teacher is doing with his fantasy football team? No, you don’t care. And Patrick Bateman certainly does not care.

But it’s in Patrick’s nature to grin and bear it – at least outwardly – as must we all. Oh, his terrible coworker who is secretly in love with him is going to put cloth reindeer ears on him? What fun! Oh, his terrible fiancee (cast perfectly with Reese Witherspoon, all irritating chipperness) for some reason has a Vietnamese potbelly pig as a pet? Great!

And what an excellent interaction between the two of them: He barely says anything, while she launches into, “Stop scowling, Patrick. You’re such a Grinch! And what does the Grinch want for Christmas this year? And don’t say breast implants again.”

How to get away from this conversation with a fiancee who he gives zero fucks about, and whom he tells later on, “You’re just not that important to me?” Spot your work rival across the party and go invite him to dinner, after which you plan to murder him, of course!

OK, maybe this isn’t part of your Christmas experience, but it’s an utterly on-point choice for Patrick. Everyone else is joyous, gleeful, and celebratory, but for Patrick, the party is torture – the only bright spot being the opportunity to manipulate Paul (Jared Leto, cast well, but not as well as he was in Fight Club, the previous year) into a death trap. Holiday party success!

And in only one scene, a short-and-sweet encapsulation of the only way Patrick Bateman would approach Christmas and you know, the rest of his life: with disgust, resentment, and a falsely cheery attitude. May your holidays never be that dreadful. Oh, and let Reese Witherspoon leave you with one piece of advice:

Seriously, just don’t do it. 

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Watch 2014's Top Actors Smooch in '9 Kisses' Video Series

People I'm jealous of this morning: Every guy in these videos not named David Oyelowo or Timothy Spall. You want to know why sometimes you read stories about people fighting really hard for certain movie roles? It's because of stuff like this, New York Times' video series '9 Kisses', in which some of 2014's best actors and actresses kiss one another in different scenarios. My favorite? Chadwick Boseman and Kristen Stewart, partly because I've had that EXACT SAME DREAM where Stewart is my #1 fan. Jenny Slate and Rosario Dawson in some hot girl-on-girl action? Yes please. And Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Miles Teller's video is pretty sweet, too. Shailene Woodley and Jack O'Connell's kiss is cool because it maintains some of the tougher edge of the roles they've been playing all year.

These are all kind of awesome to me. Watch and enjoy.

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Chill Out with a New Trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Inherent Vice'

The first trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice was a little misleading. The plot was obscured by a thick veil of weed fog and a tone that was a little more Airplane! than the film actually is. Fortunately, a new trailer has arrived that reveals quite a bit more and gives a better read on the investigative hijinks in store.

Joaquin Phoenix stars in the Thomas Pynchon adaptation as private dick "Doc" Sportello who tries to find his ex-girlfriend's missing beau in-between puffs of pot smoke. Joanna Newsom's silky voice narrates and sets the groovy atmosphere for one of the oddest movies of the year. But is it up to Anderson's usual high standards? I'll just say it's one film I had to watch a couple of times to really get a bead on, and chances are you'll want to do the same.

Starring Josh Brolin, Reese Witherspoon, Katherine Waterston, Benicio Del Toro, Owen Wilson, Martin Short, and Jena Malone, Inherent Vice opens in select cities this Friday, expanding on January 9th.

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Review: Jean-Marc Vallee's 'Wild' starring Reese Witherspoon

NOTE: This is a reprint of my review from the Virginia Film Festival. Wild opens in DC on Friday, December 5th.

One woman takes the long, hard (and literal) road to self-discovery in Wild, Jean-Marc Vallee's adaptation of the empowering memoir by Cheryl Strayed. A book club favorite and a phenomenon inspiring millions of loyal devotees, the book caught the eye of Reese Witherspoon some years ago, planning at first to merely produce rather than star as the much-younger (at the time) Strayed, but it's to all of our benefit that she took on the role as it's easily the best she's had since her Oscar-winning performance in Walk the Line.

Penned by the great novelist Nick Hornby, who has written a book or two about personal redemption, Wild details Strayed's extraordinary 1100-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail, an attempt to walk herself away from a history of bad choice and personal tragedies, in hopes of finding the woman she wants to be on the other side. We've seen these kinds of stories before, in fact one very recently in Tracks, which told nearly an identical true-life tale of redemption. The two share much in common from an aesthetic and thematic standpoint, but Wild is the more complete film by far, one that bristles with emotional resonance and enlightenment.

Beginning at a moment when her journey has taken an unexpectedly precarious (and bloody) turn, the story then splits two-fold, one in the present and another mostly in flashback. And there are plenty of flashbacks; flashbacks of every kind, in fact, but all are necessary to dot the points in Strayed's life that drove her to make such an audacious decision. She's not a hiker; or at least not an experienced one, and this is a dangerous trek for those who know what they're doing. What's obvious right away is that something terrible must have happened, either to her or caused by her, that led to this. When we see her struggling to even begin the hike, literally stumbling under the weight of her gigantic backpack (nicknamed "monster" by others), we know it's just the start of an arduous ordeal that she may not walk away from.

The particulars of her past are doled out in bits an pieces, flashes of memory blurred with reality. In actuality they aren't all that hard to figure out or understand. We see her loving and forgiving ex-husband (Thomas Sadoski), who she cheated on with multiple men while on a downward spiral of heroine abuse. The root cause of her self-destruction concerns her angelic mother (Laura Dern), whom Strayed both loves and begrudges. It's a little weird to think of Dern as Witherspoon's mother considering how close they are in age, but it works because their relationship they share is closer to that of siblings than mother and daughter. Casting isn't the issue; both women are phenomenal here, in particular Witherspoon in a grueling, captivating performance as vital as anything you'll see all year.

More troublesome is the fractured narrative and redundant use of flashback that makes it difficult for the film to find a steady rhythm. It's a small price to pay for a deeper understanding of Strayed, and we come to see the extent of her self-afflicted heartache. What's even more fascinating is her attitude about the choices she's made, suggesting at one point she'd do it all over again, the drugs and the random hook-ups, not because they inform who she is now but because they were enjoyable. They did what they were supposed to do which is serve as a diversion, but if Strayed wants a future those behaviors simply can't continue. Deeper shades of her personality peek out along the way,especially during her interactions with others, who are almost exclusively men. These encounters add a tinge of danger because, let's face it, she's a woman out alone in the woods surrounded by guys who may not have seen a female in months. So much about Wild works in just the right ways that what doesn't tends to stand out. Strayed's quoting of great poets comes off as a weak attempt at profundity which we never really see in Strayed, while the occasional appearance of a spirit animal is a little too on-the-nose for a film that strives so hard to stay grounded elsewhere.

Wild is another bold effort from Vallee, who directed Matthew McConaughey to an Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club. He seems to have the touch for pulling career-defining performances out of his stars (he gave Emily Blunt her breakout role in The Young Victoria), and Witherspoon proves more than up to the task. Raw, emotionally and physically fatigued, it's great to see her in something meaningful again. She may no longer be America's sweetheart like she was years ago, but roles like this could turn that around real quick. Beautiful panoramic views aside, there's little to the cinematography truly captures the dangerous terrain Strayed must tread; Mother Nature is never the constant threat we would expect her to be. She's not much of a threat at all, really. The real battle is within Strayed, urged by others and sometimes herself to quit; the perseverance she shows is infectious and makes us want to tag along on her journey.

 Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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VFF Review: 'Wild' starring Reese Witherspoon

One woman takes the long, hard (and literal) road to self-discovery in Wild, Jean-Marc Vallee's adaptation of the empowering memoir by Cheryl Strayed. A book club favorite and a phenomenon inspiring millions of loyal devotees, the book caught the eye of Reese Witherspoon some years ago, planning at first to merely produce rather than star as the much-younger (at the time) Strayed, but it's to all of our benefit that she took on the role as it's easily the best she's had since her Oscar-winning performance in Walk the Line.

Penned by the great novelist Nick Hornby, who has written a book or two about personal redemption, Wild details Strayed's extraordinary 1100-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail, an attempt to walk herself away from a history of bad choice and personal tragedies, in hopes of finding the woman she wants to be on the other side. We've seen these kinds of stories before, in fact one very recently in Tracks, which told nearly an identical true-life tale of redemption. The two share much in common from an aesthetic and thematic standpoint, but Wild is the more complete film by far, one that bristles with emotional resonance and enlightenment.

Beginning at a moment when her journey has taken an unexpectedly precarious (and bloody) turn, the story then splits two-fold, one in the present and another mostly in flashback. And there are plenty of flashbacks; flashbacks of every kind, in fact, but all are necessary to dot the points in Strayed's life that drove her to make such an audacious decision. She's not a hiker; or at least not an experienced one, and this is a dangerous trek for those who know what they're doing. What's obvious right away is that something terrible must have happened, either to her or caused by her, that led to this. When we see her struggling to even begin the hike, literally stumbling under the weight of her gigantic backpack (nicknamed "monster" by others), we know it's just the start of an arduous ordeal that she may not walk away from.

The particulars of her past are doled out in bits an pieces, flashes of memory blurred with reality. In actuality they aren't all that hard to figure out or understand. We see her loving and forgiving ex-husband (Thomas Sadoski), who she cheated on with multiple men while on a downward spiral of heroine abuse. The root cause of her self-destruction concerns her angelic mother (Laura Dern), whom Strayed both loves and begrudges. It's a little weird to think of Dern as Witherspoon's mother considering how close they are in age, but it works because their relationship they share is closer to that of siblings than mother and daughter. Casting isn't the issue; both women are phenomenal here, in particular Witherspoon in a grueling, captivating performance as vital as anything you'll see all year.

More troublesome is the fractured narrative and redundant use of flashback that makes it difficult for the film to find a steady rhythm. It's a small price to pay for a deeper understanding of Strayed, and we come to see the extent of her self-afflicted heartache. What's even more fascinating is her attitude about the choices she's made, suggesting at one point she'd do it all over again, the drugs and the random hook-ups, not because they inform who she is now but because they were enjoyable. They did what they were supposed to do which is serve as a diversion, but if Strayed wants a future those behaviors simply can't continue. Deeper shades of her personality peek out along the way,especially during her interactions with others, who are almost exclusively men. These encounters add a tinge of danger because, let's face it, she's a woman out alone in the woods surrounded by guys who may not have seen a female in months. So much about Wild works in just the right ways that what doesn't tends to stand out. Strayed's quoting of great poets comes off as a weak attempt at profundity which we never really see in Strayed, while the occasional appearance of a spirit animal is a little too on-the-nose for a film that strives so hard to stay grounded elsewhere.

Wild is another bold effort from Vallee, who directed Matthew McConaughey to an Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club. He seems to have the touch for pulling career-defining performances out of his stars (he gave Emily Blunt her breakout role in The Young Victoria), and Witherspoon proves more than up to the task. Raw, emotionally and physically fatigued, it's great to see her in something meaningful again. She may no longer be America's sweetheart like she was years ago, but roles like this could turn that around real quick. Beautiful panoramic views aside, there's little to the cinematography truly captures the dangerous terrain Strayed must tread; Mother Nature is never the constant threat we would expect her to be. She's not much of a threat at all, really. The real battle is within Strayed, urged by others and sometimes herself to quit; the perseverance she shows is infectious and makes us want to tag along on her journey.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Review: 'The Good Lie' starring Reese Witherspoon, Arnold Oceng, and Ger Duany

Admit it; when you first saw the trailers for The Good Lie the first thought that popped up was "Oh, it's another movie where the perfect white person saves the poor minorities". To that regard, the film is not as it would appear, and to play around with the title a little bit, the "good lie" is that it's completely about the four Sudanese refugees at the heart of the story. Sure, it's Reese Witherspoon whose face is plastered on all of the ads, but this film doesn't belong to her, and The Good Lie is all the better for it.

The immigrant experience is given a lighter, but still meaningful touch by Canadian director Philippe Falardeau, who tackled the issue in a different manner with his Oscar-nominated film, Monsieur Lazhar. The Good Lie deals with the Sudanese "Lost Boys", refugees who fled the civil war there and mostly wound up in refugee camps with nowhere else to go. Some were fortunate enough to earn a trip to America where foster families took them in, giving them a chance for a fresh start. The events of 9/11 shuttered that program, leaving many Sudanese families broken with little hope of reunion. It's with that backdrop we're introduced to six closely-tied Sudanese children, who witness the brutal execution of much of their village and are forced to trek hundreds of miles to a nearby camp. The long, dangerous journey reduces their number to four: Mamere (Arnold Oceng), Jeremiah (Ger Duany), Paul (Emmanuel Jal) and Mamere's sister Abital (Kuoth Wiel), all of whom bear the burden of responsibility carrying on their village's legacy.

Falardeau spares us the grim reality of war, but it weighs heavily on each character as they take part in the government's refugee program, and the situation only gets worse when Arbital is separated from the group. While the men are shipped off to Kansas City, Arbital is taken in by a family in Boston, leaving everyone angry and vowing to bring her home. The sadness of their plight would be overwhelming if the script by Margaret Nagle (Boardwalk Empire) didn't mix in a healthy dose of culture shock humor. Having learned much of the English language from the Bible, communication becomes a major problem. These are people who have lived in complete isolation from modern technology, spending much of their time trying to survive the ugliness of war, so it's not a surprise when an airplane or fast food restaurant thrown them for a loop. It's fairly conventional stuff told in a way that is easy to digest, a. Jello molds are a foreign concept to them, but so too are customs around women. Enter Witherspoon and her deep southern drawl as Carrie Davis, a sassy no-nonsense woman who must help the guys find jobs. They can't stay in the country without work, and Carrie throws her weight around to try and make sure it gets done.

“Who do I have to screw around here to see a goddamn immigration supervisor?” she barks, in her one moment that feels like it was torn straight from The Blind Side playbook. The others both revere her strength and pity her for being single because there may be lions out there, you know.

We know the arc of her story immediately. Within a few minutes her boss (Corey Stoll) tells her not to get too personally involved with these Sudanese refugees, but we already know she will. It's to the film's credit this never becomes her personal quest for redemption or anything irritating like that. This isn't The Blind Side or Million Dollar Arm where the minorities' stories are marginalized or forgotten completely. Witherspoon arrives to give the film a brassy boost when needed, and then slips easily into the background to let the leads take center stage. Falardeau brought in actors with a personal connection to the Sudanese crisis and that added touch makes all the difference. Oceng gives a soulful performance as Mamere, who struggles with survivor's guilt and the burden responsibility. Duany, who some may remember from David O. Russell's I Heart Huckabees, is the group's quiet stalwart, while Jal depicts the anger many of the Sudanese caught in an unfamiliar system must have felt.

Earnest and formulaic, The Good Lie is a sure bet to win over audiences looking for a feel-good story with a just enough real-world resonance. 

 Rating: 3 out of 5

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Trippy First Trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Inherent Vice' starring Joaquin Phoenix

With Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice set to make its world premiere this weekend at the New York Film Festival, the hope was that all of the images released lately was leading up to some footage. After months of anxious waiting to see what Anderson could do with Thomas Pynchon's goofy detective novel, the first trailer has arrived and the director has chosen to completely embrace its weirdness.

Starring Joaquin Phoenix as stoner private eye Doc Sportello trying to solve a missing persons case involving his ex-girlfriend's rich lover, but this isn't meant to be taken seriously in the least. Anderson has previously cited Airplane! and Top Secret! as influences and that tone is on full display, which is perfectly in keeping with Pynchon's book. What's interesting is how different this is from anything Anderson has done before, not just tonally but in terms of style. The editing is different, more chaotic than he's ever done before, and its fascinating to see him evolving in his seventh feature film.  We could be looking at the next The Big Lebowski here, which is probably not what what anybody would have expected to say about an Anderson movie.

Starring Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston, Reese Witherspoon, Benicio Del Toro, Martin Short, Jena Malone and Joanna Newson, Inherent Vice opens December 12th.


Inherent Vice - Official Trailer [HD]. by NewTrailers BOS

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New Images from Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Inherent Vice'; Film Influenced by 'Top Secret!' and 'Airplane!'

Whenever Paul Thomas Anderson releases a new film it's a pretty big deal, and his latest Inherent Vice has a lot of people anxiously awaiting its arrival. What we haven't seen is a ton of promo material on the film yet as Anderson and Warner Bros. are doing a pretty good job of keeping it under wraps, something the director didn't do so much with The Master a couple of years ago. With the film set to debut at the New York Film Festival before too long, a couple of new images have been released that will hopefully be the precursor to some kind of trailer.

The two new photos give us our first look at Reese Witherspoon, who plays Penny Kimball in the adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's offbeat crime novel. Joaquin Phoenix stars as 1970s L.A. detective Doc Sportello, who encounters a crazy group of characters while investigating the disappearance of an ex-girlfriend's rich lover. Phoenix appears in both images, including one alongside Benicio Del Toro as Doc's lawyer, Sauncho Smilax.

In an interview with The New York Times, Anderson revealed that he had to tweak a few things from Pynchon's novel, which isn't all that surprising considering its size and the huge number of characters. For one, Anderson said he came up with an entirely new ending, which is always a precarious thing when dealing with adaptations such as this. And as far as how it will play tonally, Anderson says Top Secret! and Airplane! were inspirations, which might not make everyone happy but it has me skipping around gleefully like a schoolgirl.

Inherent Vice opens in limited release on December 12th before going wide January 9th 2015.

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Todd Haynes to Direct Reese Witherspoon's Peggy Lee Biopic

Here's one you may have forgotten about. A few years ago Reese Witherspoon was developing a biopic on jazz singer/songwriter Peggy Lee, with Nora Ephron set to direct. Ephron's unfortunate passing put the project in limbo, but it looks like Witherspoon has been working hard behind the scenes to get her passion project moving again. While in Toronto where she's receiving some incredible reviews for her performance in Wild, Witherspoon took to the stage and revealed the Peggy Lee film is back on with a director in Todd Haynes.

Haynes knows his way around musical biopics having mad his name on Velvet Goldmine, a film focused on the 1970s glam rock era. He also directed the offbeat Bob Dylan biopic, I'm Not There, which featured a wide cast (including Cate Blanchett) as the performer. So it will be interesting to see what approach he takes in chronicle Lee's 60-year career that saw the North Dakota girl rise to the top of the charts. And this is obviously familiar ground for Witherspoon after winning an Oscar for playing June Carter Cash in Walk the Line. 

Haynes' next film is the Patricia Highsmith adaptation, Carol, starring Blanchett and Rooney Mara. More importantly, this is another high note for Witherspoon who is in the midst of a serious comeback.

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Reese Witherspoon & Nicole Kidman Tell 'Big Little Lies'; Jamie Dornan Joins 'The Siege of Jadotville'

 Everybody knows decent roles for actresses tend to dry up as they get older, which is why so many have turned to producing in order to develop their own projects. That's what Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman have done, teaming up to secure the rights to Liane Moriarty's book, Big Little Lies, as a starring vehicle for them both. The recently-published novel tells the story of  "three mothers of kindergartners whose apparently perfect lives unravel to the point of murder." No word on who will write or direct but given the filmmakers both women have worked with it should be easy to find one. [Deadline]

Just as Dakota Johnson has been quick to capitalize on all the Fifty Shades of Grey attention by lining up more fulfilling projects, so too is her co-star Jamie Dornan. He'll set aside the whips and blindfolds to star in The Siege of Jadotville, a geo-politcal thriller in which he'll play Pat Quinlan, who in 1961 led an Irish UN troop against soldiers loyal to Katangese Prime Minister Moise Tshombe. Badly outnumbered, Quinlan's 500 men successfully held off an army of thousands for six days before surrendering. Commercials director Richie Smyth will make his feature debut working from a script by Constantine co-writer Kevin Brodbin. [Deadline]

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Reese Witherspoon Hits the Trail in First Trailer for 'Wild'

Is this the year of Reese Witherspoon's big comeback and return to the Oscar race? After a few down years she's set for a big 2014....excluding the dreadful Devil's Knot that was already released. She'll be starring in the Sudanese refugee drama The Good Lie, and she also has a part in Paul Thomas Anderson's anticipated crime flick, Inherent Vice. But the film that may put gold on her mantle is Wild, the survival story based on Cheryl Strayed's acclaimed memoir and directed by Dallas Buyers Club's Jean-Marc Vallee.

The first trailer for Wild has been released and it's got Oscar bait written all over it, but really it's just nice to see Witherspoon back in a position of prominence. Witherspoon, looking grungy and without a hint of make-up, portrays Strayed who goes into a tailspin after the end of her marriage and death of her mother. Putting years of destructive behavior behind her, she embarks on a dangerous journey of self-discovery by making the 1100-mile trek along the Pacific Crest Trail.  Witherspoon is the centerpiece but she'll get some support from Gaby Hoffmann and Laura Dern.

Wild hits theaters on December 5th, a date that signals Fox Searchlight's confidence it will make some noise in awards season. I'm really excited for this one.

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Reese Witherspoon Rescues Sudanese Refugees in Trailer for 'The Good Lie'

After years as America's sweetheart, even going so far as to win an Oscar for Walk the Line, Reese Witherspoon went through a time when she wasn't nearly as in demand. So she settled for bad roles in worse films like This Means War and How Do You Know (I can still taste the bile in my mouth from that one), and sortof fell off the map. But then she came storming back with a strong supporting role in Mud opposite Matthew McConaughey, and lately she seems to be aiming for another trip claim a golden statue. She recently took on a dramatic turn in Devil's Knot, and later this year she has the biopic Wild from director Jean-Marc Vallee (Dallas Buyers Club), but she also has the Sudanese rufugee drama, The Good Lie, which many may not have heard of.

And there may be a reason why there's been so little attention placed on the film as the trailer is an insufferable, overbearing mess that is bound to stir up some racial controversy. Directed by Philippe Falardeau (Monsieur Lazhar), the fact-based account centers on a feisty, single American woman who takes in a trio of Sudanese refugees (known as "The Lost Boys of Sudan") as they move to the United States. It probably says a lot this is touted as being from the people behind The Blind Side, another film about a brash white woman who came to the rescue of a downtrodden minority, and if that film was less-than-subtle then The Good Lie seems to be even worse. It would be one thing if the story was told from their POV but that's obviously not going to be the case.

Also starring Corey Stoll, Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jal, Nyakuoth Weil, and Sarah Baker, The Good Lie opens October 3rd.


The Good Lie Official Trailer (2014) Reese Witherspoon, Drama Movie HD by NewTrailers BOS

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Review: 'Devil's Knot' Starring Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth

The story of the West Memphis Three has garnered a ton of media attention over the last two decades, and for good reason. It's a classic mix of elements that attract news outlets like bees to honey: murder, satanic cults, corruption, miscarriages of justice, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Since the murdered bodies of three young boys were discovered in an Alabama creek twenty years ago, the case has become a "cause celebre" due to the apparent false imprisonment of accused murderers Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr. and Jason Baldwin, seemingly railroaded by a system and town swept up in hysterics. The story was chronicled fully in three incredible Paradise Lost documentaries and the Peter Jackson-produced West of Memphis, leaving little room for Atom Egoyan's narrative feature Devil's Knot to forge its own path.

Given the wealth of material already out there about the West Memphis Three case, Egoyan's decision to take on a dramatic interpretation of events is a mystery. It's a no-win scenario if there ever was one. Get it right and people will say the film basically wrote itself; get it wrong and you get Devil's Knot, which is flimsy, unnecessary, and manages to turn a compelling true story into something dull.

There doesn't seem to be much that co-writers Scott Derrickson (of Sinister fame) and Paul Boardman have done other than take what we already know and get A-listers like Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth to reenact it. Witherspoon takes on the role of Pam Hobbs, who one normal day in 1993 allows her son Steve to go out and play with his friends, warning him to be back in time for her to get to work. But when the boy doesn't show up, it begins a firestorm of rage and accusations that consume this small, devout Southern town. Not that you really get a sense of all that as the film focuses mainly on Hobbs and Colin Firth as southern investigator Ron Lax, who Damien Echols described as a bit player in the whole ordeal. Actually, Echols has been pretty open in his disdain for the movie and it's pretty easy to see why. In overly sentimental, movie-of-the-week fashion it skips over crucial details in the case; particularly troubling when one thinks how a lack of attention to detail is largely what doomed Echols, Jessie Misskelley, and Jason Baldwin to serve years behind bars for a crime they likely didn't commit.

And so what we get is a thumbnail version of events and the players involved. Firth's Lax is particularly underserved, and the actor struggles to find anything to do with him. If he's truly "obsessed" over the case and making sure the accused go free, then why don't we ever see that passion? Instead we get characters, including the usually-amazing Amy Ryan as his ex-wife, talking at us about it. We get such an idealized, perfectly home-spun version of Hobbs that Witherspoon is left with nothing to do but be sad. There's a lot more to Hobbs' part of this story than this film is willing to portray, and the same goes for her skeevy husband Terry Hobbs (Alessandro Nivola), who in reality DNA evidence fingers as being involved in the murders. But the film tip-toes around that issue and in anything that steers too far away from a narrow and incomplete narrative that only encompass a small piece of a much larger canvas. Dane DeHaan is sorely wasted as a key witness, joined by other top actors who flit in and out without leaving much impact; Mireille Enos, Kevin Durand, Stephen Moyer, and Bruce Greenwood among others. Each of their characters is as thinly drawn as the dubious circumstances surrounding the police investigation, which was driven by religious zealotry, political gamesmanship, and flat-out ignorance.

There just doesn't seem to be much of a reason for this film to exist. It literally says nothing new and what it does say is poorly executed. The film ends with a lousy update that tells us everything that happened with the case over the years, but it only serves to highlight how unfinished Devil's Knottruly is. If someone is looking for a better, far more compelling walkthrough of the unbelievable West Memphis Three story, either hit Wikipedia or rent one of the documentaries instead.

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New Trailer for West Memphis Three Drama 'Devil's Knot'

The story of the West Memphis Three has been told many times in multiple documentaries, but their 20-year ordeal is finally being given the narrative treatment thanks to Atom Egoyan. A new trailer has been released for Devil's Knot, a dramatic recreation of the events surrounding a small town's response to the murder of three little boys. That response included a flawed and biased judicial system that put three misfit teens behind bars for a crime they didn't commit.

Despite a cast that includes Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth, Dane DeHaan, Mireille Enos, Amy Ryan, Stephen Moyer, and Alessandro Nivola, response to the film has been lukewarm to say the least. Part of the reason can be seen in this footage which is extremely flat and lacking the power a compelling story such as this should have. It all feels perfunctory, but maybe the performances can save it.

Devil's Knot opens on May 9th, but I'd probably just recommend Peter Jackson's amazing documentary, West of Memphis.


The Devil's Knot Trailer by Stuff We Like

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New Trailer for Atom Egoyan's West Memphis Three Drama, 'Devil's Knot'

From the Paradise Lost trilogy to Peter Jackson's comprehensive documentary West of Memphis, the incredible saga of the West Memphis Three has been chronicled on the big screen numerous times. And yet it seems every time the subject is approached there is something new and unbelievable to learn. Will the same hold true for Atom Egoyan's narrative take on the material, Devil's Knot?

A new trailer for the film has been released, and it certainly boasts a cast that any director would be envious of. Starring Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, Mireille Enos, Dane DeHaan, Amy Ryan, Stephen Moyer, and Elias Koteas, it depicts the fallout of three child murders in West Memphis, Arkansas, and the subsequent arrest of three local boys. Presumed guilty because of their pasts and "outsider" status, but also because of political and public pressure, they were quickly convicted, but the odyssey to discover the truth about what happened would take more than twenty years.

Despite all of the talent involved in front and behind the camera, the film was trounced after its Toronto premiere. That may explain why there's no firm release date yet, although it's expected Devil's Knot will open later in 2014.


DEVIL'S KNOT by Teaser-Trailer.com

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First Look at Reese Witherspoon in 'Wild'

It's been a down few years for America's sweetheart, Reese Witherspoon, but 2013 has seen her storm back in a big way. She's achieved a great deal of acclaim for her down 'n dirty role opposite Matthew McConaughey in Mud, and she has a key part in Atom Egoyan's Devil's Knot on the way. Last week she began filming on Wild, in which she plays acclaimed author Cheryl Strayed, and Witherspoon has just tweeted the first image of herself backpacking on the Oregon set.

Witherspoon picked up the rights to Strayed's book awhile back and for awhile it looked as if someone else would star, considering the role calls for an actress in her 20s. However, Witherspoon ultimately took it on herself, playing Strayed who went on an 1100-mile hike along the Pacific Crest Trail alone after the death of her mother and the dissolution of her marriage. Strayed's inspirational memoir hit #1 on the best-seller list and was an Oprah Book Club pick, so the audience is going to be huge for this one. Possibly big enough to get Witherspoon back on the Oscar stage for the first time since Walk the Line?

Written by Nick Hornby and directed by Jean-Marc Vallee (Dallas Buyers Club), Wild co-stars Laura Dern and should arrive in 2014.

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Reese Witherspoon Goes 'Wild'; Anna Kendrick Joins 'Life After Beth'; Tim Robbins In 'Welcome to Me'

* Reese Witherspoon had been on board to produce a Nick Hornby-scripted adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s best-selling memoir,  Wild: From Lost To Found On The Pacific Crest Trail. With the role calling for a woman in her 20s, she wasn't expected to star, but it seems as if Fox Searchlight has managed to change her mind as they've just announced Witherspoon for the lead role. The story chronicles Strayed's 1100-mile solo hike from the Mojave Desert to Washington State after experiencing a number of personal tragedies. Filming will begin in the fall once a director has been secured.

* Even though production is underway on the zombie comedy Life After Beth, the cast is still getting sorted out with Dane DeHaan and Paul Reiser recently coming aboard, and now three other names have been added to the cast. Anna Kendrick, Molly Shannon, and Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm) have joined the film, which has DeHaan as a young man attempting to continue his relationship with his undead girlfriend, played by Aubrey Plaza. John C. Reilly co-stars, and the film marks the directorial debut by I Heart Huckabees scribe, Jeff Baena. [Deadline]

* As Kristen Wiig's Girl Most Likely hits theaters this weekend, the finishing touches are being put on her next film, Welcome to Me. Directed by Shira Piven (Fully Loaded) and produced by Will Ferrell's Gary Sanchez Productions, the story has Wiig as a woman who "suffers from dissociative personality disorder and wins the lottery only to decide to spend her money on a cable access talk show about herself". Joining Wiig are Oscar-winner Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Linda Cardellini in roles yet to be revealed. 

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