Review: 'John Wick' starring Keanu Reeves

John muthaf****n' Wick! That's what I wanted to shout at the end of John Wick, one of the purest pleasures I've had at the movies this year. On the surface, the film is basically your standard-issue revenge thriller. Keanu Reeves, back in full-blown badass mode, plays a former hitman who is dragged out of his retirement to seek revenge for a terrible slight. Seen it before, right? Well, maybe you have but it's all in the execution, and John Wickis a slick, funny and brutally intense flick that does everything it seeks to do just right.

Reeves may be a punching bag to his many detractors but there's one thing he can do with the best of them and that is fight. Forget The Matrix for a minute and just look at what he was able to do in last year's vastly underrated bare-knuckle martial arts film, Man of Tai Chi. Reeves stepped behind the camera for that one and it's clear he's picked up a few tricks on how action sequences are supposed to look. It doesn't hurt that he's got some help from Chad Stahelski, who served as Reeves' stunt double through multiple genre movies. Stahelski makes his directorial debut with John Wick and Reeves have a singularity of vision for stylish, atmospheric violence. Get ready, because John Wick is totally out of control.

John Wick was the world's deadliest assassin, nicknamed The Bogeyman by his employers for his deadly efficiency. "He's the guy you send to kill the Bogeyman", so goes the legend, but Wick has settled into happily wedded bliss until illness claims his wife (Bridget Moynahan).  Her final gift to him happens to be the cutest puppy in the history of cute puppies. He's so adorable you know something terrible will happen to him. Sure enough, barely five minutes later John is roughed up by the irritating pest heel Iosef (Alfie Allen) and his gang, who steal his vintage car and kill his dog. The car is one thing, but you don't mess with a man's dog; especially not when that man is John Wick.

So yeah, the film is about John seeking revenge for a dog, and so what? Vengeance movies have found weaker reason for copious amounts of bloodshed than the death of a four-legged friend.  Fortunately for all of us, the reasons for John's path of destruction matter less than how he's exacting his revenge. Reeves is an extremely fluid actor, always has been, and using the graceful techniques he learned in The Matrix and other films he turns John Wick into one of the most  beautiful shoot 'em ups ever made.  The amount of sheer violence is off the charts and Stahelski, who also spent a number of years as a stunt coordinator, knows how to stage a scene for maximum impact.

But there are two other aspects that make this film truly exemplary. The cast is simply phenomenal for a film of this type, and everybody seems to be on the same page with how it should be played. Michael Nyqvist (from the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) makes for a strangely comical bad guy as Russian mob boss Viggo Tarasov. He's also Iosef's father and when he learns his son jacked up John Wick, well, he's less than pleased.  The rest of the ensemble is equally good and just as quirky, with Lance Reddick as the manager of a hotel that serves as a hub for paid killers; Ian McShane as its owner; Adrianne Palicki is an assassin hired to take John down; and the always-great Willem Dafoe is John's close associate, Marcus. Any other film and this would be a lineup looking to earn a few awards, but here they're just looking to have some fun.

The other thing that makes this movie great is how Stahelski and screenwriter Derek Kolstad pull you into this weird, ridiculous shadow world. Assassins apparently have their own currency, paying for everything in flashy gold coins; they have their own hotel with oddly specific rules about killing; and personal cleaning crews to dispose of messy business. This is how you embrace a genre's tropes and make bloody hay out of it. We know John is an unstoppable killing machine, and so do the characters populating the film. Just mentioning his name is enough to silence a potentially ugly situation or turn hardened villains into sheepish cowards.  Exploring the world John is slowly being pulled back into is probably the film's greatest highlight, outside of seeing Keanu Reeves taking a familiar role and doing something fresh with it. Fans of the genre are going to get everything they want out of John Wick, and those wondering where Reeves has been over the last few years will be pleased to know that he is definitely back.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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Keanu Reeves is Out for Blood in New 'John Wick' Trailer

Two weeks ago nobody outside of attendees at Fantastic Fest had ever heard of the revenge thriller, John Wick, now it's one of the most eagerly awaited genre films of the year. The reviews for the film have been mixed, trending towards positive, but the most glowing praise has been heaped upon Keanu Reeves as the title character, a former hitman who unleashes terrible vengeance on those who murdered his beloved pup. Yes, this is a film about guy getting revenge for his dog, but there have been blood feuds in movies for less reason than that.  A new trailer for John Wick has been released and it looks like the kind of film destined to be a quotable cult favorite. Here's the lean 'n mean synopsis:

An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him. With New York City as his bullet-riddled playground, JOHN WICK (Keanu Reeves) is a fresh and stylized take on the "assassin genre."

Simple enough. Between John Wick, The Drop, Tracks, and The Rover this is turning out to be the year of the dog. Directed by Chad Stahelski with  Adrianne Palicki, Willem Dafoe, Bridget Moynahan, Ian McShane, Jason Isaacs, Alfie Allen, Lance Reddick, John Leguizamo, Dean Winters, and Michael Nyqvist
 co-starring, John Wick opens on October 24th.


John Wick Official Trailer #2 (2014) - Keanu Reeves, Willem Dafoe Movie HD. by TrailerNow

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Keanu Reeves Settles the Score in Trailer for 'John Wick'

What was the last huge film Keanu Reeves starred in? Believe it or not it was way back in 2008's The Day the Earth Stood Still, his last gasp as a major box office star. Since then he's been perfectly happy as the biggest name in the tiny pond of indie films, including his recent directorial debut Man of Tai Chi (which is excellent, by the way). And so it won't come as any surprise if you haven't heard of John Wick, the new action flick Reeves is starring in that arrives next month.

Reeves stars as a former hitman, who loves his fast cars and cute pet dog, but finds a reason to get back in the killing business when a bunch of goons rob him and take everything he cares for. That was a mistake, and as we see in the new trailer Wick is a guy not to be trifled with. John Leguizamo, Ian McShane, Alfie Allen, Bridget Moynahan, Michael Nyqvist, Willem Dafoe, and Adrianne Palicki make up a strong enough cast that this film should probably be getting more attention. So why isn't it? Despite the talent there isn't much about this trailer that's impressive, including the workmanlike direction of Chad Stahelski.

John Wick opens on October 24th. 

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Willem Dafoe is 'Pasolini' in Trailer for Abel Ferrara's New Film

"To scandalize is a right, and to be scandalized is a pleasure". Those words by the great Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini proved to be prophetic indeed. The filmmaker's life was one where his many great films, such as The Gospel According to Matthew and The Decameron were met with just as many scandals surrounding his politics and sexuality. Even his death would turn out to be one surrounded by mystery and controversy, and serves the basis for Abel Ferrara's film, Pasolini, which has just released its first trailer ahead of premieres in Venice and Toronto.

Willem Dafoe takes on the role of the Italian director in a story that chronicles the final days of his life in 1975. It's at this time he's battling with censors over his last film, Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom, and interviewing with journalists about his career. But the events leading up to his murder are also hinted at, especially in that final car ride at the tail end, and just how far Ferrara intends to go in exploring the crime is unclear. What's clearer is this looks like a strong, dialed-down performance by Dafoe and a beautifully shot ode to a great director. Hopefully it finds a way to the U.S.

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Review: 'A Most Wanted Man' Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rachel McAdams

NOTE: This is a reprint of my review from the Sundance Film Festival.

Hollywood has never been more enamored with the tradecraft novels of John le Carré than they are right now, having gained in popularity in this post 9/11 society of ours. But for me, I've always had something of a love/hate relationship with his work. While the murky games of spies and dark government assets is one le Carre knows better than anybody, the realism of his writing doesn't always make for the greatest entertainment. Every now and then you wish a car would blow up or somebody would fire a rocket launcher or something. Much like the most recent le Carre adaptation, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, A Most Wanted Man is another pot boiler with a great cast and a story that emphasizes facts, figures, and mood while leaving character in the background.

Philip Seymour Hoffman brings a palpable weariness to the role of Gunther Bachmann, an espionage operative in Hamburg, a country trying to overcome its reputation as a hot bed of terrorist activity. Gunther is part of an organization so secret, so deep in the weeds nobody knows who they report to. They operate on their own, preventing any security threats in a way they see fit. Like many of le Carre's most popular protagonists, Gunther is a shrewd, calculating man who is smarter and tougher than his physical appearance would suggest. He's a man called on to make the hard decisions because he always does.

When a battered and starving half-Chechnyan, half-Russian man emerges out of nowhere seeking political asylum, it catches the attention of not only Gunther's agency, but the CIA (represented by Robin Wright) and other departments in Germany. Gunther's investigation into whether this man is truly who he says, or perhaps a terrorist in disguise, is undermined at every turn by those who claim to be on his side. The ways of spies are often like the mafia; it's your friend with the biggest smile who sticks in the knife. The situation becomes cloudier when a local banker and civil rights advocate (Rachel McAdams) gets involved, along with a shady money man (Willem Dafoe) who is hired to help the refugee gain access to a sizable inheritance.

The second international thriller by Anton Corbijn (he directed George Clooney in The American); the film gets off to a slow start and never gains any momentum. Not that a le Carre story ever aims for big sizzle, the lack of energy is especially burdensome since there is so little interest in developing any of these characters. By contrast, an excellent le Carre adaptation like The Constant Gardener has a central figure with a personal stake in finding a hidden truth. It's no less analytical than A Most Wanted Man or 'Tinker Tailor', but there's an attempt to tell a story, not just go over procedures. And it's a shame because Hoffman really is great as Gunther, a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. The entire veteran cast, and yes that includes McAdams wielding a convincing German accent, fit into le Carre's world perfectly. Ultimately, A Most Wanted Man is too stiff and calculating to appeal to anybody but the most die-hard fan of the genre.

 Rating: 2.5 out of 5

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New Trailer for 'A Most Wanted Man' Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rachel McAdams

It's sad to think that we are quickly coming to the end of our opportunities to see the great Philip Seymour Hoffman in action, and the hope is that these final performances live up to his fantastic career standard. Audiences may have to catch up with the small-town drama God's Pocket (review here) since it didn't get much of a theatrical release, while many more are likely to check him out in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay. But in-between those films we'll have a chance to see Hoffman do his thing in Anton Corbijn's A Most Wanted Man, based on the espionage novel by John Le Carre, and a new trailer for it has been released.

Hoffman goes full-on "chain smoking man" as the head of a covert German spy operation in Hamburg tasked with tracking down a mysterious Chechen-Russian immigrant who may or may not be a terrorist. Complicating matters is the involvement of the CIA (led by Robin Wright) and an altruistic lawyer (Rachel McAdams) who has decided to become the refugee's advocate. While Hoffman is great as a man carrying the weight of the world's security on his shoulders, the film has a serious lack of sizzle that can't be ignored.

A Most Wanted Man opens July 25th with Willem Dafoe and Daniel Bruhl co-starring.


A MOST WANTED MAN -Philip Seymour Hoffman by Teaser-Trailer.com

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Review: 'The Fault In Our Stars' Starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort

One of the great things about John Green's novel, The Fault In Our Stars, is that it isn't a typical cancer story. It isn't a typical anything, really, and even loosely considering it a "cancer story" seems like a momentary injustice. Nor does it quite conform to our traditional notions of sappy, angst-ridden teen romances. There's something quite extraordinary about the novel; its realized characters and full-hearted story of exceptional love, both of the romantic variety and the unbreakable love a parent has for their child. And because of all the things the book gets so right, the fact of Josh Boone's big screen adaptation nailing them so perfectly makes the film all the more special.

Right away the lead character, Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley) lets you know this isn't going to your average everyday story, either. Hazel is a brilliant, witty, well-read young woman who also happens to have thyroid cancer that has spread to her lungs. Because of it she carries an oxygen tank around with her and has little tubes connected to her nose. But her outlook on the situation is more acerbic than grim, with her clever and funny observations on "cancer perks" drawing the attention of Augustus "Gus" Waters (Ansel Elgort), a handsome, 18-year-old she meets at a cancer support group. Not exactly the ideal meet-cute, but then again nothing about their situation is truly ideal, which makes them finding one another such a thing of pure magic.

See, Augustus is currently in remission from osteosarcoma, ending his basketball career when the disease took his leg. Like Hazel, he has a somewhat offbeat perspective on life, and where she's a bit bleak he's of a sunnier disposition. They complete one another and learn from one another in just about every way imaginable. A voracious reader, Hazel introduces Gus to her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, an extensive tome from a reclusive author now holed up in Amsterdam. Gus loves Hazel almost immediately, ingratiating himself into her life and charming her parents (Laura Dern and Sam Trammell), even though Hazel remains distant in an effort to hurt as few people as possible.

Green's novel, written with incredible care and emotional heft, does much of the heavy lifting for screenwriters Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustadter (500 Days of Summer and The Spectacular Now); both old hands at penning romances that are a little off the beaten path. They also know how to work with Woodley, who is content presenting Hazel and all of her flaws and quirks. Despite this being a story with a somewhat inevitably heart-wrenching conclusion, none of the characters are treated with kid gloves. Hazel has her issues; she's as stubborn and moody as she is funny and passionate. And while Woodley is careful not to make Hazel too precious, Elgort has the difficult job of making the all-too-perfect Gus seem like a real person. A boy with a fondness for grand symbolic gestures, Gus will give you flashbacks of Say Anything's Lloyd Dobbler, and Elgort's performance on par with John Cusack's. Elgort, who played Woodley's brother in Divergent just a couple of months ago, exudes confidence without being brash. Both he and Woodley capture the frailty and strength in these wonderful, unforgettable characters. Beyond the terrific pop culture references there are so many quotable lines that you'll want to try them out on your significant other.

There are a few small changes from the novel that don't completely work, mainly in the streamlining of the relationship between Hazel and Gus. It's almost too planned, too preordained the journey they are on. As wonderful and heartbreaking as the performances by Dern and Trammell, there needed to be more of Hazel's relationship with her parents, who are on just as much of an emotional roller coaster. But these are small quibbles, and to include more would detract from every cherished moment with Gus and Hazel, and we simply can't have that. The Fault In Our Stars isn't a story about two people dying from cancer, but of two people who lived and loved to the fullest extent despite it. Everything that made John Green's book so great is here, so maybe just this once the world really is "a wish-granting factory."

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First Trailer for John Le Carre Adaptation 'A Most Wanted Man' Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman

The smooth, understated approach of director Anton Corbijn, seen previously in his Joy Division biopic, Control, and the George Clooney hit man film, The American, would seem a perfect fit for the espionage world of John Le Carre. The ongoing war on terror and the conversation over national security have thrust the author's work back into the Hollywood spotlight, and so we have the first trailer for Corbijn's adaptation of A Most Wanted Man, which brings both of those ideas into focus.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, in one of his final performances, plays a German agent in an off the books anti-terrorism unit, who must sort out the truth behind a half-Chechen, half-Russian man who escapes into Hamburg asking for political asylum. Rachel McAdams plays a civil rights advocate who believes the man is innocent and not the Muslim spy multiple government agencies think him to be. Despite a wonderful cast that includes Daniel Bruhl, Willem Dafoe, and Robin Wright, the film left me cold at Sundance, and was one of the bigger disappointments of the festival.

A Most Wanted Man opens July 25th.

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Sundance Review: 'A Most Wanted Man' Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rachel McAdams

Hollywood has never been more enamored with the tradecraft novels of John le Carré than they are right now, having gained in popularity in this post 9/11 society of ours. But for me, I've always had something of a love/hate relationship with his work. While the murky games of spies and dark government assets is one le Carre knows better than anybody, the realism of his writing doesn't always make for the greatest entertainment. Every now and then you wish a car would blow up or somebody would fire a rocket launcher or something. Much like the most recent le Carre adaptation, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, A Most Wanted Man is another pot boiler with a great cast and a story that emphasizes facts, figures, and mood while leaving character in the background.

Philip Seymour Hoffman brings a palpable weariness to the role of Gunther Bachmann, an espionage operative in Hamburg, a country trying to overcome its reputation as a hot bed of terrorist activity. Gunther is part of an organization so secret, so deep in the weeds nobody knows who they report to. They operate on their own, preventing any security threats in a way they see fit. Like many of le Carre's most popular protagonists, Gunther is a shrewd, calculating man who is smarter and tougher than his physical appearance would suggest. He's a man called on to make the hard decisions because he always does.

When a battered and starving half-Chechyan, half-Russian man emerges out of nowhere seeking political asylum, it catches the attention of not only Gunther's agency, but the CIA (represented by Robin Wright) and other departments in Germany. Gunther's investigation into whether this man is truly who he says, or perhaps a terrorist in disguise, is undermined at every turn by those who claim to be on his side. The ways of spies are often like the mafia; it's your friend with the biggest smile who sticks in the knife. The situation becomes cloudier when a local banker and civil rights advocate (Rachel McAdams) gets involved, along with a shady money man (Willem Dafoe) who is hired to help the refugee gain access to a sizable inheritance.

The second international thriller by Anton Corbijn (he directed George Clooney in The American), the film gets off to a slow start and never gains any momentum. Not that a le Carre story ever aims for big sizzle, the lack of energy is especially burdensome since there is so little interest in developing any of these characters. By contrast, an excellent le Carre adaptation like The Constant Gardener has a central figure with a personal stake in finding a hidden truth. It's no less analytical than A Most Wanted Man or 'Tinker Tailor', but there's an attempt to tell a story, not just go over procedures. And it's a shame because Hoffman really is great as Gunther, a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. The entire veteran cast, and yes that includes McAdams wielding a convincing German accent, fit into le Carre's world perfectly. Ultimately, A Most Wanted Man is too stiff and calculating to appeal to anybody but the most die-hard fan of the genre.

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New Trailer for 'A Most Wanted Man' Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rachel McAdams

As Sundance looms ever closer, we're starting to get some actual footage at some of the movies set to make their world debut, and one that's sure to get a lot of attention is A Most Wanted Man. Directed by Anton Corbijn (The American) and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Daniel Bruhl, and Robin Wright, the film is based on the John Le Carre novel so you know you're delving into the deep, dark corners of international espionage.

A new international trailer has been released and it looks like a worthy companion to Le Carre's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. There's still no release date but Lionsgate will probably sort all of that out after Sundance and have it in theaters by the end of 2014. The film centers on a starving and tortured half-Chechen, half-Russian immigrant who arrives in Hamburg's Islamic community and becomes the target of multiple security agencies. McAdams plays the German civil rights lawyer convinced he's not an extremist but an oppressed victim on the run.



PLOT: A half-starved young Russian man is smuggled into Hamburg in the dead of night with an improbable amount of cash secreted in a purse around his neck. He is a devout Muslim. Or is he? He says his name is Issa. 

Annabel, an idealistic young German civil rights lawyer, determines to save Issa from deportation, even if the price is her career—and her safety. Searching for clues to his mysterious past, she confronts the incongruous sixty-year-old scion of a failing British bank—and a triangle of impossible loves is born. 

Meanwhile, scenting a sure kill in the “War on Terror,” the rival spies of three nations converge upon the innocents.

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Review: 'Odd Thomas' Starring Anton Yelchin and Addison Timlin

It didn't take long for Dean Koontz's Odd Thomasnovels to hook me. Literally within a couple of pages he had established this wonderfully weird concoction, an offbeat paranormal mystery and hard-boiled gumshoe story with a protagonist as odd as his name.  Through a series of mostly compelling adventures Koontz has walked a very fine balance, one where inherent quirk of the premise must often give way to darkness of a brutal nature. See, Odd Thomas can see the lingering spirits of the dead, and uses that ability to avenge their deaths. It's not the sort of tone one would expect an unabashed tentpole director like Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) to be able to pull off, and while it's far from perfect, fans of Koontz's titular hero will be more than happy.

To Sommers' credit he sticks with what he knows, picking up the face and sprucing up Koontz's story, so that the film resembles an episode of dearly-departed series, Dead Like Me. It's a change that works better than one would think, mainly due to a confident star in Anton Yelchin and the peculiarity of the lead character. Odd, his parents meant to name him Todd but forgot the 'T', is a seemingly normal fry cook living in Pico Mundo, Nevada where there are all sorts of weird occurrences he's more than equipped to handle. More than just "seeing dead people", Odd can see the nastiest secrets murderers try to hide, and he can even glimpse future horrors before they happen in an effort to stop them.

At a brisk 90 minutes, Sommers wastes no time introducing us to Odd's world, with extensive narration cutting down on the massive amounts of exposition that occasionally bog down Koontz's books. More casual viewers will appreciate the steady presence of Willem Dafoe as town sheriff Wyatt Porter, who shares in Odd's secret. His greatest source of back-up is his feisty and loyal girlfriend, Stormy Llewellyn (Addison Timlin), and together they have a little Nick & Norah Charles thing goin' on as they try to decipher the latest weirdness around town. A carnival fortune predicted they were "destined to be together forever", and it's a fate constantly put to the test by crazy cultists, ethereal death demons known as bodachs, and gun-toting madmen.

Koontz's original story doesn't call for a lot of huge set pieces, but what few there are Sommers brings his big studio muscle to at least give them a nice polish. The bodachs are appropriately sinewy and slithery, but you can tell that there's been some significant trimming during the explosive finale. Mostly the budgetary constraints are a minor bump that can be easily overlooked thanks to Yelchin, who makes for a more dashing hero than Odd Thomas was ever designed to be. It works in this context, though, and he's even better when bantering back-and-forth with Timlin. It's safe to say that everything about their relationship in the novels is faithfully recreated here, including the stuff that isn't so much fun. Sommers, who adapted the screenplay himself, clearly has a passion for the material and Koontz's bizarre short order cook.

It's a shame there's been such a negative stigma attached to this film due to the months of legal wrangling that has kept it out of theaters indefinitely. Some will see that, Sommers' name and the fact that it's only available On Demand and take that as a reason to stay away. But fans of the book will be extremely happy, and those less familiar will find Odd Thomas to be a funny and endearing curiosity.

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Sex, Fire, Rock 'N Roll in Very NSFW Trailer for Lars von Trier's 'Nymphomaniac'

Oh yeah, Fifty Shades of Grey will have NOTHING on Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac. Period. Over the last few months we've been treated to numerous clips from the controversial filmmaker's two-part sexual epic, and they apparently barely scratch the surface of the scandalous lengths he's willing to go. You thought all of those orgasmic movie posters were something? Wait until you get a load (pun not intended!!) of the first trailer, which is obviously NSFW.

As you might expect there's tons of rough sex, BDSM, spanking, screaming, fighting, fires, rock 'n roll, more screaming, blowjobs, and there's even a little lesbian action thrown in for good measure. Is this Nymphomaniac or The To-Do List? Perhaps the most compelling aspect are the numerous shifts in camera technique von Trier employs, switching up styles as we're taken through Joe's (played by Charlotte Gainsbourg and Stacy Martin) sexual escapades. And oh yeah, that scene of Joe's father (Christian Slater) lying in the hospital bed just got even more disturbing.

It doesn't sound as if von Trier's 5 1/2 hour directors' cut is going to play Cannes like some have thought, but wherever it does play expect me to be there...if only to watch the audience squirm. Nymphomaniac hits Denmark on Christmas Day but no U.S. date just yet. Wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall when this one hits the MPAA's desk?


Nymphomaniac (2013) - Official Trailer [VO-HD] by Eklecty-City.fr

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First Trailer for Wes Anderson's 'The Grand Budapest Hotel'

Coming off his biggest box office and critical success in Moonrise Kingdom, a lot of eyes are on Wes Anderson's follow-up, The Grand Budapest Hotel. But rather than deliver another quirky coming-of-age tale, he's bringing his idiosyncratic style to a murder mystery set in Hungary pre-WWI. Can't get any more different than that.

After the teaser poster hit just a couple of days ago, the first trailer for the film has been released and it's definitely a Wes Anderson movie. Ralph Fiennes is M. Gustave, a legendary (and possibly psychic) concierge at the Grand Budapest Hotel who along with his most trusted lobby boy (Tony Revolori) get mixed up in the theft of a priceless Renaissance painting after the death of a distinguished guest. The ensemble includes Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan,  Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Lea Seydoux, Jeff Goldblum, Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson, an impressive gathering even by Anderson standards.

The Grand Budapest Hotel isn't likely to convert anyone into an Anderson fan, but those who are already down with him can check out the film on March 7th 2014.

The Grand Budapest Hotel Trailer by Flixgr

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New Trailer and Poster for 'Out of the Furnance' with Christian Bale

Four years ago Scott Cooper emerged like a house on fire with the country music drama, Crazy Heart, a film that earned him numerous accolades and a Best Actor win for Jeff Bridges. It took him awhile to ready his follow-up, Out of the Furnance, and as the Oscar race takes shape it's looking like Cooper may have another dark horse contender.

Starring Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Sam Shepard, Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe, and Zoe Saldana, the film follows two brothers who desperately want to escape the confines of their Rust Belt town. Bale plays the older sibling who must save his brother from a criminal ring run by a menacing Harrelson. It looks like gritty, tightly focused stuff that explores everything from economic depression to the bond between brothers.

Out of the Furnace opens on December 6th.


Out of the Furnace trailer # 2 by Flixgr

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Willem Dafoe Joins 'John Wick'; Michael Sheen In 'Madding Crowd'; Jason Patric Enters 'Hotel 33'

* Willem Dafoe will be both a friend and foe to Keanu Reeves in the hit man flick, John Wick. Reeves stars as the title character, a retired assassin who tracks down the men responsible for stealing his 1969 Mustang and killing his dog, with Dafoe as his former best friend and fellow contract killer who puts a bounty on his head. [Deadline]

* Filming is underway on Thomas Vinterberg's adaptation of Far from the Madding Crowd, with  Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Juno Temple, and Tom Sturridge already on board. Rounding out the cast now is Michael Sheen in the role of William Boldwood, one of the three men courting the beautiful Bathsheba Everdene. David Nicholls (One Day, Starter for 10) adapted the screenplay.

* Back in May we learned that Nicolas Cage was set to star in writer/director Kellie Madison's horror, Hotel 33. That deal has since fallen through, and now Cage has been replaced by Jason Patric. Quite a step down, to be perfectly honest. He'll play the detective investigating the disappearance of a friend in the same hotel where 33 people disappeared back in 1953. [Variety]

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First Trailer for 'Out Of the Furnace' Starring Christian Bale and Woody Harrelson

If The Town proved anything a couple of years ago, it's that a gritty as Hell crime flick can emerge in the fall and run roughshod over a lot of stodgy Oscar hopefuls. And that seems to be the plan cooked up by Relativity Media for Out of the Furnace, the new thriller from Crazy Heart director, Scott Cooper.

A handful of images debuted a few days ago, and following the usual pattern we now have the first trailer for what looks like a cracking good crime yarn. The story is a familiar one, but the A-list cast suggests there's something more buried beneath the surface. Christian Bale plays a poor steelworker in the Rust Belt who is released from prison and goes in search of his missing brother (Casey Affleck), who hooked up with the criminal element. The trailer goes a long way in making us feel the economic hardship and desperation in these characters, which typically leads to some brutal acts of violence. Zoe Saldana, Sam Shepard, Woody Harrelson, and Willem Dafoe all appear to have put on their game faces for this one, as well.

Out of the Furnace hits theaters on November 27th.

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Willem Dafoe replaces Philip Seymour Hoffman in 'A Most Wanted Man'

It looks like Anton Corbijn's adaptation of A Most Wanted Man is basically starting over from scratch. Earlier this year, the film looked to be moving forward with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rachel McAdams as the two leads, but yesterday McAdams was replaced by Robin Wright. And now, it looks as if Hoffman is out, and in will be stepping Willem Dafoe.

Based on the John Le Carre novel, the story follows a Chechen/Russian Muslim who illegally immigrates to Hamburg, Germany. There he falls under the care of an idealistic lawyer and a banker, sweeping them both up in the international war on terror.  The book is being adapted by Andrew Bovell(Lantana).

So they're really aging up the cast here, which should give the film a totally different texture. Not sure what happened to Hoffman and McAdams, and to be honest the changes don't excite me all that much. Corbijn makes for a perfect fit for Le Carre's weighty material, though, so that's reason alone to keep this film firmly on the radar. [Variety]

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Willem Dafoe circles role in Pacific Rim; Rob Kazinsky confirmed

The presence of Willem Dafoe in any film pretty much guarantees you're in for a helter skelter experience. When was the last time he was in anything remotely....normal? Safe? Spider-Man 3? And he was wacko in that. To me, that bodes extremely well for Guillermo Del Toro's upcoming monster invasion film, Pacific Rim, as Variety reports Dafoe has entered early talks to join it. He'd play a "rogue scientist" with expertise on aliens. How exactly did he come about this knowledge? Hmmmmm...

In addition, British actor Rob Kazinsky(EastEnders), last seen dropping out of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit due to personal reasons, has been confirmed as one of the humans fighting to defend the planet. Our friends over at ThePlaylist seem to think he could play the brother of Charlie Hunnam's character. Idris Elba, Rinku Kikuchi, Charlie Day, and Max Martini are also set to star.

Pacific Rim is based on a highly regarded script by Travis Beacham, which at first was rumored to be the basis for a Godzilla relaunch(it wasn't). It tells the story of how humans come together using futuristic weaponry and piloting mechs in order to hold back a monster invasion. The film is due to be released on July 12th 2013.

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The Rank 'n File: Trav's Top 5 Favorite Vampires

I don't know when or what it was that made me love vampires so much, but I've always had a soft spot for any movie or TV show that had even a hint of their icy hearts and pale skin. From Interview with the Vampire to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the soulless creatures with a taste for human blood have always appealed to me. Lately, though, I'm less and less enthused when I see any new project involving my beloved vamps. Vampires are suddenly cool and hip. They don't kill people anymore. They'd rather stand around(sometimes in broad daylight! Aaargh!) and stare longingly at the mopey chick across the classroom. Screw that shit, man. I like my vampires as chilling, brutal killers. Or at the very least highly manipulative scumbags.

And before you ask, no I did NOT include Eddie Murphy's Vampire in Brooklyn.

5. Marlowe -30 Days of Night

The crucial moment in this film for me comes when the leader of the vampires, Marlowe, descends on a poor helpless woman who cries out for God to help her. His calm, measured, reply probably killed her worse than the vicious attack that soon followed: "No God."

4. Eli -Let the Right One In


As far as vampire movies go, Let the Right One in is a strange bird. It's as much of a love story than anything else, between a lonesome boy and the mysterious Eli, a vampire trapped forever at the age of 12. They form a unique relationship that's not quite love, but maybe not quite friendship, either. She protects him, and he in turn provides her companionship. With an American remake already in the works, I'm sure people will get a chance to see this story told after a fashion, but my suggestion is that you go rent the original. The first is always best.

3. Max Schreck- Shadow of the Vampire

I watched this movie twice before I realized Willem Dafoe was even in it. That's how much he encompasses the character of Max Schreck, a real vampire hiding in plain sight on the set of F.W. Murnau's 1922 film, Noferatu. Of course this is a fictionalized account. A "What If" scenario that envisions reknowned theater actor Schreck as a real blood sucker, but it sure as hell had me convinced. When Schreck, who had most of the actors thinking he was just really into his role, goes into a tale about his origins as a vampire then calmly bites the head off a bat, it's one of the creepiest scenes ever. If you ever..and I mean ever...run into anyone who thinks Willem Dafoe can't act, calmly show them this movie and tell them to shove it up their arse.

2. Vlad Dracula- Bram Stoker's Dracula

Say what you want about how cheesy this movie can be(and it certainly is), there's no denying how gorgeous it is. Nor is there any denying the power of Gary Oldman's performance as the undead King himself. You can't play a commanding figure like Dracula without charisma to match, and Oldman has it in spades. Whether he's walking cheerfully down the streets with his top hat, lusting with his concubines, or agonizing over his lost love(played wonderfully by Winona Ryder), Oldman is simply captivating in every way. Plus his battle with Van Helsing(Anthony Hopkins) was far more impressive than anything Hugh Jackman ever gave us.

1. Blade-

"Some muthafuckas always tryin' to ice skate up hill". Those iconic words will live forever in the pantheon of cheesy Snipe-isms. That bit of dialogue would be enough to earn him the top spot here on this list, but the fact that he's the baddest ass of all vampire badasses is the clincher. He's the one guy I'd pay to see drive a stake through all of my other faves' hearts and turn them into dust. Blade's trademark dry wit, "How do you think we fund this operation? We ain't the March of Dimes", and assortment of crazy weapons helped solidify Wesley Snipes as the top action star in Hollywood. The Blade character, though, would continue to pull me in even after Snipes left the role. Yes, I'm one of those few who loved the Blade tv series. So sue me. Or better yet, suck it!

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Daybreakers Theatrical Trailer

We just posted the theatrical poster for this upcoming vampire flick a couple of days ago, and now here's the newly released trailer. Looks pretty damn good. The film stars Ethan Hawke, Sam Neil, and Willem Dafoe as a group of vampires trying to save their race from extinction. Check it out:

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