The 12 Days of Christmas – Day 7: ‘Eyes Wide Shut’

 

Stanley Kubrick’s filmography is probably one of the most popular for cinematic criticism—can you imagine how many college film courses focus on 2001: A Space Odyssey or A Clockwork Orange? I know mine did. And so it goes without saying that his final film, 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut, has its fair share of analyses throughout academic journals and online blogs—including a shocking amount of pieces written about how the film is Illuminati propaganda. Seriously, Google “Eyes Wide Shut” and “Illuminati” and you will not be disappointed. You’re welcome and Merry Christmas!

And Christmas is why we’re here, actually, because Eyes Wide Shut is probably one of the most adult films to take place during the holiday season. And I don’t use the term “adult” just because of all the sex scenes, which, you know, there are a lot! But more so because of how Kubrick uses Christmas ambiance to add texture and atmosphere to the film, and to drive home certain ideas about consumerism and power that are central to his work.

I’m not going to write you an essay here, but I think Eyes Wide Shut is an interesting movie to watch around this time of year because Kubrick had such clear intentions in including the holiday—so let’s look at the five times the Christmas spirit was at play in the film … for better or for worse.

+ Oh hey, it’s Christmas! Eyes Wide Shut starts with a  shock by showing us Nicole Kidman’s bare butt (do not hate on Nicole; I love Nicole; I just wish she would stop doing things to her face), but it transitions quickly into place and time: It’s New York City and it’s Christmas! How does Kubrick do this? By demonstrating to us that his protagonists, Bill (Tom Cruise) and wife Alice (Kidman) aren’t particularly good parents, leaving their daughter Helena with the babysitter whose name they don’t know so they can attend a fancy party thrown by one of Bill’s patients. The holidays, a time for family togetherness? Not for the Harfords, and especially not with a daughter who symbolizes essentially nothing but the one thing keeping Bill and Alice together. Knock against the self-interested nature of the wealthy: Check.

+ Sleezy rich jerks have Christmas trees, too. Practically immediately after the Harfords arrive at the holiday party held by Bill’s patient, Sandor, the two split apart. Alice gets hit on a lascivious guy who dances with her, while Bill disappears with a couple of hot young models and then is called to tend to Sandor, who was having sex with another girl who passed out from a drug overdose. What’s in the room where Sandor and the girl were having sex? Opulent furniture, beautiful artwork, and a cheap-looking little Christmas tree, with neon lights that lend an eerie, otherworldly light to everything going on in that room. Creepy red light usually belongs in horror movies, and seeing it here really underlines the unsettling vibe Kubrick is bringing to Eyes Wide Shut.

+ Prostitutes who end up having HIV—yup, they also care about the holiday season. How often can Bill cheat on his wife? It feels like the opportunity presents itself over and over again for the handsome doctor, most obviously when he goes home with a young prostitute named Domino. The first thing we see in her apartment? A sparse Christmas tree, again surrounded by eerie red light, in a place where Bill shouldn’t be—but it’s not the reminder of the holiday season that makes Bill think of his family and leave Domino, but a nagging phone call from Alice. If Christmas is a great unifier (which Kubrick seems to be arguing by constantly inserting Christmas decorations and accessories into the film, but not having the characters overtly talk about it), what does it signify for those celebrating it? Is it an outward display of holiness, or a false attempt at hiding something darker and dirtier?

+ And speaking of “darker and dirtier”—the one place Christmas decorations don’t appear is at the mansion where the Master of Ceremonies lords over the costumed, occult orgy. No holiday frills. No Christmas trees. No lights. The people at the orgy don’t have to hide under the guise of Christmas, because they’re all in on each other’s debauchery and depravity—they’re barely even hiding from each other. The mask-wearing isn’t for inclusion, but for exclusion; think of how rapidly they sense that Bill isn’t supposed to be there. It’s the one place in the film untouched by Christmas, because no one there has to pretend to be anything they’re not. They’re all fine with being terrible, as long as they can be terrible together—without anyone else sneaking into their midst.

+ Finally, don’t forget the point of Christmas: Presents. Do you remember Helena? Bill and Alice barely do, and they only bring their daughter into their realm again at the end of the film: when Bill has dodged receiving HIV from Domino; when his connections with the secret society have been severed by violence outside of his control; and when he finally comes clean to Alice about his actions of the past few days, following up on her honesty about having sex dreams that don’t include Bill but focus on shaming him by being intimate with other men. Their marriage is totally fucked up, so why not spend some time with their daughter?

And the time is, of course, not emotionally meaningful, but consumerist: They take their daughter shopping as a way of bonding with her, acquiescing to her every wish instead of getting to know her. In a film that is constantly demonstrating the way the supposed generosity, compassion, and togetherness of the holiday season is distorted, deceived, and corrupted, it only makes sense that Bill and Alice would envelop their daughter with things as a way to teach her the Christmas spirit. Christmas may be a time of regeneration, renewal, and rebirth, but in Eyes Wide Shut, everyone is stuck in the same old shitty cycles. And no amount of holly jolly cheer—or Tom Cruise’s enthusiastic clapping—can cover up the rot.

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Sony Hack Reveals Steve Jobs Biopic Madness as Natalie Portman Turns Down a Role

Remember that stench of doom we sensed around Jane Got a Gun earlier this year as it went through a brutal gauntlet of production issues? Well, that's how the forever-developing, troubled Steve Jobs biopic is starting to look. Penned by Aaron Sorkin and to be directed by Danny Boyle, the film was set up at Sony before they got nervous and dropped it, only for Universal to come to the rescue. When a project of this scope gets dumped there's always a bigger story behind it, and thanks to Sony getting hacked we know just how chaotic things were behind the scenes.

We're not going to post hacked emails or anything like that; leave that to the folks over at Gawker who posted a blistering series of conversations between widely despised producer Scott Rudin and Sony chief Amy Pascal. In them we see the bull-headed twosome fighting over everything, but it's Rudin who looks like a total donkey for ripping into Angelina Jolie, calling her a "minimally talented spoiled brat" amongst other scathing insults. What the heck does Jolie have to do with anything? You may recall she and David Fincher, who was originally supposed to direct Jobs, were going to do a massively-budgeted Cleopatra epic. That project never came together and Fincher bounced, but she apparently was still holding out hope earlier this year, only to have Sony dangle the Steve Jobs film in his face. Of course, that didn't work out for Sony, either. Ironically, Rudin refers to Jolie's massive ego but these emails reveal he needs to check himself in a major way.

Meanwhile, the Jobs film is bumping along over at Universal but still has some problems to iron out. Michael Fassbender is set (for now) to star as the tech giant with Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak. Recently Natalie Portman's (coincidentally of Jane Got a Gun!) name was mentioned for the female lead but now Variety says she's turned it down for unspecified reasons. Perhaps she sensed something was wrong, too? Sorkin could be bringing his The Newsroom star Jeff Daniels in to play Apple CEO John Sculley so maybe things aren't all bad. Then again, let's just wait and see if Fassbender makes the start date. If not, Universal could always turn to Tom Cruise, who was sought by Sony out of desperation.

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'Highlander' Remake Eyes Tom Cruise for Sean Connery's Old Role

A remake of the immortals 'n swords flick Highlander has been in the works for years, and the big problem has been getting anybody to stick around. Justin Lin (Fast & Furious), and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (28 Weeks Later) have been attached to direct, only to drop out in favor of Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, a visual effects wiz making his feature debut. Ryan Reynolds was on board for awhile but he's been long gone, and now it looks like Summit Entertainment have their sights set on an even bigger name.

According to The Wrap, Tom Cruise is on the wishlist to take over the mentor role of Juan Ramirez, played previously by Sean Connery. Highlander follows a race of immortals who are destined to fight and kill each other until only one remains and gains incredible power. Cruise doesn't do much in the way of supporting roles, anymore, so it's unlikely he actually takes this gig. Plus, his reps say he's more than busy with Mission: Impossible 5 and has tons of other projects to consider.

Basically, don't count on this one happening, but we shall see.

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Let's Entertain These Tom Cruise in 'Star Wars: Episode VII' Rumors For a Sec

As we recently saw with the latest confirmed cameo in Disney's Guardians of the Galaxy, sometimes rumors linking a director to a prior collaborator turn out to be true, but I have serious doubts about what's being said in regards to Star Wars: Episode VII right now. The story making far too many waves around the Internet says that Tom Cruise is set to make an appearance in Star Wars, which is being directed by his Mission: Impossible 3 helmer, J.J. Abrams.

The story first surfaced at The Sun, which should be enough reason for skepticism. Cruise supposedly has been in London for a week and met with Abrams, along with some others, over the weekend to discuss Star Wars. Abrams continues to have a hand in the Mission: Impossible franchise as a producer, and their prior working relationship is said to be a motivating factor in Cruise coming aboard. But even more than that, the injury sidelining Harrison Ford up to eight weeks has given Abrams "some time to play around with" and craft a role for Cruise. This doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense to be perfectly honest. If production has been altered for two months on a film that is going to be developing right down to the wire as it is, wouldn't that leave less time to start shoe-horning in celebrities in newly created roles? Plus, the inclusion of Cruise would be seen by too many as a distraction, and not an especially beneficial one given Cruise's lackluster box office performances of late.

And lastly, let's not forget that Cruise's Mission: Impossible 5 is going up against Star Wars: Episode VII in December of 2015. There is very little incentive for Disney to have Cruise involved other than to keep Abrams happy, and since he's apparently leaving the franchise in favor of Rian Johnson as of Episode VIII, that's not going to be much of a concern either.

So we'll see what happens, but you probably can tell I don't buy these rumors one bit.

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Review: 'Edge of Tomorrow' Starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt

A great many influences were drawn upon by Doug Liman in crafting Edge of Tomorrow, which is very loosely based on Hiroshi Sakurazaka's popular light novel, All You Need is Kill. More than just the simple "sci-fi Groundhog Day" it's most frequently described as, the satirical edginess will have fans of Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers chuckling, while the hulking battle suits are pulled straight from Japanese anime, and there are perhaps even hints of Deja Vu in there for good measure. But for all the different styles thrown in to make for an exciting and surprisingly light-footed action epic, the steadying influence is Tom Cruise, who at the age of 51 seems to be getting his action hero groove back.

Like the time loop-stuck hero he plays in Edge of Tomorrow, Cruise keeps going to the sci-fi well over and over, fighting to try and replicate his War of the Worlds success. And with a touch of slick humor, Doug Liman's energetic direction, and a hint of the bizarre, this is easily Cruise's best crack at the genre, despite a third act fail that threatens to kibosh the whole thing. Cruise plays Major William Cage, a shady pro war spinmeister happy to stay far in the background while others die for the cause. The world is under attack by strange, liquid metal-ish creatures known as Mimics, and to combat them the military has come up with weaponized battle suits capable of turning an untrained soldier into a hero. The face of this PR campaign is the "Angel of Verdun" Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), who turned the tide of battle when all seemed lost. Posters of her are literally everywhere, inspiring others to fight for the cause.

Well, inspiring everybody but Cage who refuses an order by his commander (Brendan Gleeson) to embed with the front lines to cover an all-or-nothing strike against the Mimics. Cowardly noting that he can't even stand the sight of blood from a paper cut, Cage tries to blackmail his way out of it, only to be knocked out, arrested, removed of rank, and shipped out to camp to prepare for battle. There he's screamed at by an overzealous war-loving drill sergeant (Bill Paxton), tossed into a misfit outfit, and dropped into a firefight that echoes the beach storming of Normandy. Flopping around in a bulky metal suit, Cage still manages to accidentally kill one of the larger Mimics, only to have its acidic blood doused all over him, and in that moment of death he wakes up at camp as if nothing happened.

From here the film follows the Groundhog Day/Source Code route of Cage figuring out the parameters of his predicament. That means lots of dying and waking up, greeted with a booming "On your feet, maggot!", and to Liman's credit he manages to keep these scenes mostly free of repetition for the audience. That involves lots of quick cuts, presenting some moments from differing perspectives, and finding humor in the absurdity of Cage's situation. Here's the least likely soldier ever forced into a Hellish scenario in which he must be a soldier forever.  But everything changes when he encounters Rita on the field and her words, “Find me when you wake up", hint that he's not alone in this. He and Rita were much the same once, and with her help Cage must figure out a way to stop the Mimics and break the cycle once and for all.

Liman keeps the pace moving briskly, even at times when it should come to a screeching halt like in Cage's multiple training sequences. But these carry weight because of the importance heaped upon them; if Cage can't get his act together the whole world is doomed. And so it kind of makes you angry at him when he stops training to hit on Rita (points for trying, though), or just can't seem to get his timing straight. Of course, over time he begins to take things more seriously and we see the crushing war fatigue plastered all over his face. We've seen Cruise play this sort of character before, the free-wheeling guy burdened with impossible responsibility, and he does it ease. Frustration comes with Rita basically being reduced to Cage's sidekick when she starts off as such a badass. Thankfully she never quite becomes a "damsel in distress" and Blunt is capable of showing more layers to Rita than I think were intended. She's shown to be more than capable of holding her own and is a rare case of a strong female heroine in a genre dominated by guys. But let's not mistake, this is Cruise's film and Cage makes for an interesting enough character to root for. His initial sliminess marks him as more than just a standard-issue hero, one who would rather be on the sidelines than the front lines. His transformation into hardened soldier is, despite being cut short by necessary montage, rendered in a believable way.

While Cruise and Blunt may be perfect casting on the screen and to the studio bean counters hoping for a big box office, the compromise, or what I call "The Cruise Compromise" comes on the creative end. There's no real way to sugarcoat this: the ending is a complete disaster. It's the kind of lazy, go-home-happy Hollywood ending you might imagine a bunch of studio execs hammering out while "doing lunch". A more poignant conclusion was clearly intended, sacrificed on the altar of popcorn entertainment and in the process robbing the film of any chance to be memorable. It's the one lapse of intelligence for a film that is far smarter than the summer generally requires, and is worth reliving for a second time.

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Final 'Edge of Tomorrow' Trailer Plus Spoof 'Edge of Groundhog'

Speaking of "Live. Die. Repeat.", the hype for Tom Cruise's latest foray into sci-fi, Edge of Tomorrow, has been building over the last few days. With early reviews on the Doug Liman-directed flick suggesting it may be a cut above Cruise's last genre effort, Oblivion (which I totally dug), the question now is whether he can reclaim his position as a summer megastar.

On the heels of a ton of recently-released clips, we now have what is being billed as the "final" Edge of Tomorrow trailer. It's funny how studios now feel the need to tell us such things, as if knowing they've gone over the promo deep-end. Cruise is a soldier caught in a time loop after being killed in an alien war and must repeat the day of his death until improving enough to change the course of history.

So yeah, it's the total Groundhog Day concept with 100% more killer aliens, which is why the folks at Slate have come up with Edge of Groundhog, a spoof that merges the two films together seamlessly.

Edge of Tomorrow opens June 5th and co-stars Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton.


Edge of Tomorrow Final Trailer by CGMeetup

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*CLOSED* 'Edge of Tomorrow' Advance Screening

Live. Die. Repeat. Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt will are forced to relive a futuristic war in Doug Liman's action-packed Edge of Tomorrow, and we want you to see the film early! We're offering our readers a chance to attend a free advance screening is being held on Monday June 2nd at 7:30pm at Regal Majestic in Silver Spring.

To qualify you must first be a fan of Punch Drunk Critics on Facebook,so if you haven't "Liked" us yet please go there and do so now. To win, simply email punchdrunktrav@gmail.com with your full name and favorite film for both Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Winners will be notified on Saturday May 31st by email, receiving a Gofobo code good for them and one guest.

Good luck! Edge of Tomorrow opens June 6th.

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Four Clips of Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt in 'Edge of Tomorrow'

Tom Cruise may not be the box office giant he used to be, but he'll attempt to make a dent in the summer with Edge of Tomorrow, another sci-fi film dealing with all sorts of time travel craziness. Unlike many of the season's other major releases we haven't seen a ton of footage, but with the film only a couple of weeks away Warner Bros. has decided now's a good time to reveal four new clips.

Directed by Doug Liman and co-starring Emily Blunt, the story has Cruise as hapless soldier Lt. Bill Cage, thrust in a war with an alien race and killed almost immediately. But rather than that being the end of his story, Cage emerges in a time loop and must relive that battle over and over, dying repeatedly until he becomes a good enough soldier to change the tide of battle. And in these clips we see some of the grueling training Cage endures, and his unsuccessful attempts to make sexy time with Blunt's character. There's a great deal of action in each of these scenes, especially one with Cruise and Blunt on the battlefield that shows how far she's willing to go to make sure his mission succeeds.

Edge of Tomorrow opens June 6th.


Edge of Tomorrow Official Movie Clip - Come Find Me (2014) Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt HD by Filmsreviews


Edge of Tomorrow Official Movie Clip - "The Only Rule "- Extrait VO (HD) by Reviewer.fr


Edge of Tomorrow Official Movie Clip - "Drop or Die "- Extrait VO (HD) by Reviewer.fr


Edge of Tomorrow - Official Movie Clip - "All The Options" - Extrait VO (HD) by Reviewer.fr

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Tom Cruise's 'Edge of Tomorrow' Goes IMAX with New Trailer

Tom Cruise is pretty tough to kill in any movie he's in, but in Doug Liman's Edge of Tomorrow his survival ability is taken to ridiculous new levels. Set in the distant future, the film has Cruise as Lt. Col Bill Cage, an officer without a lick of combat experience who is thrust in a war against an invading alien force. When he's quickly killed, rather than that being the end of his story, Cage is thrust into a time-loop and forced to relive the fight over and over.

A new IMAX exclusive trailer gives another look at the impressive visuals and large-scale action sequences, while also providing a bit more context to the story. We see more of the aliens Cruise is fighting, along with the cutthroat training he undergoes from Emily Blunt's character.

Also starring Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, and Jonas Armstrong, Edge of Tomorrow opens June 6th.

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New Trailer Sends Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt to the 'Edge of Tomorrow'

If Groundhog Day showed us anything, it's that watching someone die over and over again can be pretty funny if done right. Or in the case of Source Code, and again in Groundhog Day, death can be used to show how important the way one lives their life really can be. Tom Cruise's character in Edge of Tomorrow will be thrust in a similar scenario, only he gets to face it packing some seriously bad-ass weaponry.

A new trailer for the Doug Liman-directed Edge of Tomorrow has been released, and there's a little bit of humor underneath all of the flashy special effects and time travel hijinks. Based on the Japanese novel, All You Need is Kill, Cruise plays an inexperienced soldier killed early in an alien war, only to wind up in a time loop. Forced to relive his death repeatedly, he eventually becomes the hardened soldier needed to turn the war's tide. Plus he gets to hang out with Emily Blunt as another soldier who seems to know of his predicament.

Edge of Tomorrow opens June 4th. 


Edge of Tomorrow Trailer 2 by Stuff We Like

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John Lee Hancock Rewriting 'The Magnificent Seven' as Tom Cruise Exits

Not that there was a lot of positive buzz swirling around MGM's planned remake of Western classic, The Magnificent Seven, but at least when development began in 2012 Tom Cruise was involved. Now that's no longer the case as The Wrap reports Cruise has exited the picture, just as Saving Mr. Banks director John Lee Hancock has come on to give it a rewrite.

Considering the busy slate ahead of Cruise this doesn't come as a total surprise. He's currently hard at work on Mission: Impossible 5 and will jump into a Jack Reacher sequel once that's done. Hancock will be taking over for writer Nic Pizzolatto (HBO's True Detective) who wrote the initial draft based on the 1960 film starring Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, and more as a group of hired gunmen protecting a village from outlaws. It was itself a remake of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai.

There's still no director officially on board but Hancock has experience in the genre, directing 2004's big budget flop, The Alamo.

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First Trailer for 'Edge of Tomorrow' Starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt

After bashing in a few heads as Jack Reacher, Tom Cruise has been on a serious sci-fi kick. Earlier this year he starred in Oblivion, which was fairly well-received critically but failed to live up the actor's box office standards. It didn't stop him from going back to the well one more time, suiting up for Doug Liman's Edge of Tomorrow, an futuristic war film that has just released an explosive first trailer.

Based on the Japanese novel All You Need is Kill, Edge of Tomorrow stars Cruise as Lt. Col. Bill Cage, thrust into a war against an alien race's relentless assault, only to be killed in the first wave. But that's not the end of his story as he's thrown into a time loop in which he relives the same battle repeatedly, improving each time and changing his fate.  Emily Blunt, also spending a lot of time in the sci-fi realm lately, plays a mysterious soldier who may have clues to exactly what is going on.  Liman has always been a great action filmmaker and the CGI appears to be top notch, but he's got a lot of work to do convincing people this isn't just sci-fi Groundhog Day.

Edge of Tomorrow opens June 6th 2014!


Edge Of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise – Official Trailer by FanReviews

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Tom Cruise Returning for 'Jack Reacher' Sequel Based New Novel

Tom Cruise may have kicked a lot of ass in Jack Reacher, but it got whupped pretty decently at the box office, hitting only $80M domestically. Normally that wouldn't be enough to have Paramount thinking franchise, and for awhile it looked like those plans were off. However, the film was a hit overseas with an additional $140M, and that was enough to get Paramount to change their minds.

Deadline reports Cruise is returning for a sequel to Jack Reacher, which was based on the popular series of novels by author Lee Child. The film will be based on Child's 18th, and most recent book, Never Go Back, which was released in September. Christopher McQuarrie wrote and directed Jack Reacher and is working with Cruise on Mission: Impossible 5. New writers are being sought now and there's still a small glimmer of hope McQuarrie will return but it's looking unlikely.

As for the story, it has Reacher delving into his past and revisiting the Virginia headquarters of his old military unit, only to be charged with a crime he may have committed years ago.

Cruise has the sci-fi flick Edge of Tomorrow coming out next, and it's unlikely he'll get the Jack Reacher sequel done before MI:5. In other words, it could be awhile before this ever gets moving. 

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Tom Cruise and Joseph Kosinski May Reunite for 'Go Like Hell'

The last time Tom Cruise and Tron: Legacy director Joseph Kosinski teamed up, the results weren't what either of them were expecting. The big budget sci-fi film Oblivion was met with middle-of-the-road reviews and a box office to match, but that hasn't stopped them from wanting to work together one more time. A couple of years ago Michael Mann was slow-developing an adaptation of A.J. Baime's book, Go Like Hell: Ford, Ferrari, and their Battle For Speed and Glory at Le Mans, but it never seemed to go anywhere. Now Deadline reports Cruise and Kosinski are looking to take it on themselves.

Described by many as being in the vein of The Right Stuff, Go Like Hell centers on the 1960s battle between Ford and Ferrari for control of the sports car industry. Henry Ford II and a young Lee Iacocca set out to revolutionize Ford with the help of racing champion Carroll Shelby, who designed a sleek and fast car that could challenge on the European racing circuit. Jason Keller had a hand in writing the screenplay but this project is early enough that there will probably be more work done.

Cruise knows his way around a racing film but this is new ground for Kosinski. It's unclear where this would fit into the director's schedule since he recently became attached to an untitled action thriller. He also has a potential Tron sequel and a remake of The Twilight Zone on his plate.

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Johnny Depp Could Return for 'Black Mass', But It's Unlikely

With Pirates of the Caribbean 5 and an Alice in Wonderland sequel both moving forward in rapid-fire succession, Johnny Depp's decision last week to depart  Whitey Bulger biopic Black Mass made a lot of sense. There was more to it, though, as Depp had been asked to take a pay cut from his usual $20M (*gasp* How will he get by??) salary. While Depp does indeed appear to be gone from the project, a few more details have emerged as producers and financiers scramble to find a way to get him back.

A lengthy story at THR can be simplified this way: Depp was due to make his standard $20M fee, but that was only if the budget managed to stay at $50M or less. When it ballooned to $63M, Depp, co-star Joel Edgerton, and director Barry Levinson were asked to reduce their usual asking price. Whether or not the other two agreed isn't clear, but it's obvious that Depp and his partners at Cross Creek Pictures refused.

Reps on both sides of the issue paint vastly different pictures of the situation, as one might expect, but the point is that this version of Black Mass is "dead", and Tom Cruise has been approached about replacing Depp. But what they really want is to come to an accord with Depp, and continue to try and work out a deal that could pay him roughly $15M if he agrees. With Depp set to shoot Wally Pfister's Transcendence, and his two biggest franchises gearing up for sequels, the window of opportunity has probably closed.

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Henry Cavill replaces Tom Cruise in 'The Man from UNCLE'

How much confidence does Warner Bros. have not only in Man of Steel, but in its star, Henry Cavill? With Tom Cruise suddenly dropping out of Guy Ritchie's The Man from UNCLE in order to invest his energies in Mission: Impossible 5, the studio was suddenly without an A-lister to front the film, which has had more than its share of casting trouble already. So it's a sign of their utter faith in Cavill that he's the guy they want to step in and fill Cruise's shoes.

Cavill has entered talks to take the lead role of American spy Napoleon Solo in the big screen take on the 1960s TV series. He'll join fellow fast-rising stars Armie Hammer and Alicia Vikander as agents from the titular espionage agency battling the threat of THRUSH, a global terrorist outfit. The studio must love Cavill at this point, as they had been looking at him to co-star in Ron Howard's In the Heart of the Sea opposite Chris Hemsworth.

This marks a drastic tone shift for the film, though, as Cruise could have been seen as the veteran spy with Hammer as his younger protege. Now this is definitely skewing for the youth demographic, which should make Warner Bros. happy as they have clear franchise hopes for it. Cavill has come a long way for an actor most are still unfamiliar with, and is basically unproven as a box office star. His two biggest films so far were Tarsem Singh's Immortals, and the largely-unseen action film The Cold Light of Day opposite Bruce Willis. [Variety]

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Armie Hammer joins Tom Cruise in 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'

Warner Bros. has run into a few problems trying to mount a remake to the 1960s spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., once having the top tier trio of Steven Soderbergh, George Clooney, and writer Scott Z. Burns on board. Creative differences over casting led Soderbergh to drop out, only to be replaced by Guy Ritchie, who the studio trusts implicitly after two successful Sherlock Holmes films. Tom Cruise began circling the lead agent role last month, and now not only has he been confirmed, but Armie Hammer will be joining him.

This completely a pretty incredible run for Hammer that has seen him working alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar, and Johnny Depp in The Lone Ranger. Cruise will be playing American spy Napoleon Solo, with Hammer as "a version" of Russian agent Illya Kuryakin. The show starred Robert Vaughn and David McCallum as agents for an espionage and law enforcement agency who take on an evil organization known as THRUSH.

Playing sidekick to a number of A-listers has worked wonders for Hammer, who had his breakout in The Social Network as the Winklevoss twins. With Cruise's schedule it's unclear when this will roll in front of cameras, but expect Warner Bros. to want to get moving quickly. [Deadline]

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Tom Cruise wants more sci-fi, will star in 'Yukikaze' adaptation

Before this month's Oblivion, it had been eight years since Tom Cruise had tackled sci-fi in War of the Worlds. He had found success with it before in Minority Report, and clearly he's rediscovered his passion for the genre. With All You Need is Kill set for next year, Cruise has is taking on another sci-fi adaptation based on a popular anime.

Cruise will team up with Warner Bros. and his All You Need is Kill producers for Yukikaze, based on Chōhei Kambayashi's hit graphic novel that was then adapted to a five-episode anime series. Cruise would likely play Lt. Rei Fukai, the leader of the Fairy Air Force, who defend the Earth from an alien threat known as the JAM.  Fukai pilots a super-advance fighter known as the Yukikaze, equipped with a near-sentient artificial intelligence.

Cruise obviously has some experience playing fighter pilots, and this could be a welcome replacement for the canceled Top Gun 2. If you're interested, you can watch the entire Yukikaze series below.


Yukikaze episode 1 by DivaXSaya53

yukikaze episode 2 by DivaXSaya53

yukikaze episode 3 by DivaXSaya53

yukikaze episode 4 by DivaXSaya53

yukikaze episode 5 by DivaXSaya53

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Tom Cruise in talks for Guy Ritchie's 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'

Warner Bros. has been trying unsuccessfully to get a big screen version of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. going for three years. Once a project helmed by Steven Soderbergh with George Clooney as one of the leads, the director dropped out when the studio was less than thrilled with his picks of Michael Fassbender or Joel Kinnaman to co-star. Clooney also left, and the project was picked up by Sherlock Holmes director Guy Ritchie. Bradley Cooper and Ryan Gosling were floated as possibilities to replace Clooney, but nothing concrete has been heard since.

It would be another chance for Cruise to revive another 1960s spy series, just as he's done with Mission: Impossible. While 'Ghost Protocol' proved to be a huge hit, Cruise has struggled to capitalize on it, although Deadline suggests that Jack Reacher may have earned enough worldwide to warrant a sequel.  He'll be seen next in two straight science fiction offerings: Joseph Kosinski's Oblivion, then Doug Liman's All You Need is Kill, Warner Bros. having approached Cruise after the latter film wrapped.

'U.N.C.L.E.' ran from 1964-68, and starred Robert Vaughn and David McCollum as a pair of secret agents, one American and one Russian, who helped prevent international threats. Their main nemesis was a global criminal organization known as THRUSH. The show was more campy than Mission: Impossible, and under Soderbergh and screenwriter Scott Z. Burns it would have relied heavily on the time period, probably in a similar fashion as their film The Informant! But with Ritchie at the helm now, all bets are off as to the approach he'll take.

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Tom Cruise kicks butt in the first 'Jack Reacher' clip

For many folks, whether Jack Reacher is enjoyable or not will depend on if Tom Cruise can make for a believably imposing bad ass. It's a silly idea to think that he can't, considering we've seen him do it multiple times throughout his career. The problem is that Cruise doesn't fit the character's profile from Lee Child's novels, by nearly a foot and about 80lbs. But if you can get beyond that, then there's no reason to think Jack Reacher can't be an effective thriller.

A new clip from the film has been released, and it's a clear effort to show Cruise can be intimidating when necessary. It shows him putting a beat down on five dudes who simply picked on the wrong guy. Christopher McQuarrie wrote the script and directs, with Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo, Robert Duvall, Richard Jenkins, Jai Courtney, and Werner Herzog co-starring. Jack Reacher opens on December 21st. Check out the clip followed by the plot....


PLOT: When a gunman takes five lives with six shots, all evidence points to the suspect in custody. On interrogation, the suspect offers up a single note: “Get Jack Reacher!” So begins an extraordinary chase for the truth, pitting Jack Reacher against an unexpected enemy, with a skill for violence and a secret to keep.

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