Maika Monroe Rides 'The 5th Wave'; Diane Lane and Elle Fanning Join 'Trumbo'; Alice Eve is a 'Criminal'

 Zac Efron and Dennis Quaid may have received the bulk of the praise for Ramin Bahrani's underrated At Any Price, but I was completely taken by the performance of co-star Maika Monroe. Hollywood has noticed, and now Monroe is moving to her biggest film yet, taking a role opposite Chloe Grace Moretz in the YA adaptation, The 5th Wave. Nick Robinson (The Kings of Summer) and Alex Roe have the male leads while Liev Schreiber is in final talks to play the villain in the story of Cassie Sullivan (Moretz), one of the last remaining humans on an Earth ravaged by waves of alien attacks. When her little brother goes missing she goes on the run to find him during the fifth alien invasion. J Blakeson (The Disappearance of Alice Creed) is directing for release on January 19th 2016. Monroe will be seen next in The Guest, starring Dan Stevens. [TheWrap]

Diane Lane and Elle Fanning have joined Trumbo, Jay Roach's biopic on blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Bryan Cranston stars in the title role with Helen Mirren, John Goodman, and Michael Stuhlbarg on board the film about how Trumbo was accused by Senator McCarthy's House Committee on Un-American Activities and was sent to prison for refusing to testify. Under a pseudonym Trumbo went on to win two Academy Awards while blacklisted.

Ariel Vromen (The Iceman) is rounding up a strong cast for his follow-up, Criminal. Alice Eve has joined Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds, Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Oldman in the story of "a dead CIA operative's memories are implanted into a dangerous convict in hopes that he will stop a diabolical plot."[THR]

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Nokia dials up the final 'Man of Steel' trailer

Warner Bros. puts all of their hopes on a long-running superhero franchise on the line when Man of Steel hits theaters in a week. They've released more than their share of trailers, clips, and posters to amp up anticipation for what Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan have put together, but there's still room for more.

Nokia partnered up with the studio last year for The Dark Knight Rises, and now they're back again with what should be the final Man of Steel trailer. It features very brief glimpses of new footage, but most of it consists of tweaked scenes we've already seen, and includes Russell Crowe's powerful narration.

Starring Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, and Antje Traue, Man of Steel opens on June 14th.


Man of Steel - Nokia Trailer [VO|HD] by addictomovie.com

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Superman will change the world in the new 'Man of Steel' trailer

If you've been paying attention to the Man of Steel viral site, then you probably noticed that there was some sort of alien countdown taking place. Counting down to what, we didn't know, but that question has now been answered. Once the clock hit zero, a new full trailer for the film was released, which keeps the Malick-tone of the teaser while also offering up a ton of new action footage.

Looking like the most mature work Zack Snyder has ever done, an odd thing to say for a comic book movie, Man of Steel appears to be asking the question of whether or not Superman can exist in a world like ours. Should he exist in a world like ours? And if he does, should he use his powers for good, evil, or not at all? The film finds Clark Kent(Henry Cavill) at a personal crossroads, and we see the influence his parents(Diane Lane and Kevin Costner) had on him as a child. In one telling scene, Costner seems to suggest that Clark should have let a child die rather than risk exposing the world to his true nature. In another, Lane urges him to make his world smaller. It's a fascinating approach to the character, one that promises this will be unlike any Superman film we've seen yet. Although he's only a producer, Christopher Nolan's presence is felt all over.

It's not all big questions and lofty ideas, however, as we get a small taste of Snyder flexing his visual muscles. Cavill looks amazing in the iconic costume, and we also get a glimpse of Michael Shannon as General Zod. The destruction of Krypton is also seen, along with a small appearance by Russell Crowe and Antje Traue, and in general everything one would hope to find in this trailer is accounted for. All this plus Hans Zimmer's grandiose, operatic score adding even more weight to what looks like a substantial story already.  Man of Steel opens on June 14th 2013. Excited yet?

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Elizabeth Banks and Diane Lane to star in Amy Berg's crime drama 'Every Secret Thing'

 Two actresses headed in different directions. Diane Lane is a particular favorite of mine, and her run of movies in the early to mid-2000s, from Unfaithful up to Hollywoodland in 2006 are all pretty incredible. But she hasn't had a lot to do lately, outside of HBO's Cinema Verite and a small role as Ma Kent in Man of Steel. On the other hand, Elizabeth Banks can't be stopped, even when she puts out crap like What to Expect When You're Expecting. The two should make for an interesting on-screen pair, as they're set to star in a crime drama that sounds darker than anything either has done in awhile.

The two will star in Every Secret Thing, based on the novel by Laura Lippman and directed by Amy Berg. Berg is a documentary filmmaker specializing in issues involving children, having given us Academy Award-nominated sexual abuse doc, Deliver Us from Evil. She recently completed Peter Jackson-produced West of Memphis, about the West Memphis Three case. Lippman's novel is being adapted by Nicole Holofcener(Friends with Money), and follows Ronnie and Alice, two women who were convicted of the murder of a baby when they were 11-years old and incarcerated until the age of 18. Now newly released from prison and dealing with severe psychological issues, they become suspects when children start disappearing again, leading to the mystery surrounding the original murder to be opened up again.

Frances McDormand is on board as a producer, making this a film with a wealth of talent both in front of and behind the camera. Filming is set to begin next February.

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Kevin Costner confirmed as Jonathan "Pa" Kent

Briefly...

He's been in talks for the role for weeks, and now THR and Warner Brothers have confirmed that Kevin Costner will be joining Zack Snyder's new Superman pic as his adoptive father, Jonathan "Pa" Kent.  Warner Brothers issued a statement with these words from Snyder...

"Jonathan Kent is the only father figure Clark has ever had, the man who was there to help Clark understand what he was meant to do in the world as Superman. Kevin will be able to communicate the quiet strength of this rural American man who raised the greatest superhero of all time."

He'll be joining a cast that right now includes Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, and Diane Lane as Martha Kent. The major roles of Lois Lane, Ursa, and presumably General Zod have yet to be fulfilled. Same with Krypto the Superdog.


Jonathan and Martha Kent are the two strongest influences in Clark Kent's life. After finding him when his escape pod crash lands in a nearby field, the two parents instill in him the values that forged him into the world's greatest protector. 


THR speculates that Pa Kent might meet an untimely demise in the film, but it's pure speculation based on the fact that he's been killed off in the comics and in the Smallville TV show.

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Diane Lane to play Superman's mommy, Martha Kent

A few years ago I would've given my left testicle to see Diane Lane in a superhero movie, preferably wearing something of the Wonder Woman variety. Looks like I'll have to settle for her just being an important non-super powered character as Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures have announced that the actress will be playing Martha Kent in Zack Snyder's upcoming Superman relaunch. 

Martha is the doting adoptive mother of Clark Kent and husband to Jonathan "Pa" Kent. Kevin Costner has been rumored to be the frontrunner for that role but nothing has been signed as of yet.

Lane was most recently received some acclaim for her role as Penny Chenery in Secretariat, but she's been a consistently great actress for years. She received an Oscar nomination in 2002 for her performance in Unfaithful.

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The Queue: Killshot

What would it take for a film starring Mickey Rourke, Thomas Jane, Diane Lane, Joseph Gordon-Leavitt, and Rosario Dawson to go straight to DVD? Surely something as simple as a mediocre script couldn't keep such star power out of theatres, right? How about poor production value? Would that do it? No. It needs the unholy trifecta, doesn't it? Ok, so let's throw in a pinch of phoned in acting. Not even John Madden, once highly acclaimed director of Shakespeare in Love, could save this turkey from tanking.

Mickey Rourke tackles the role of aging Native American hitman, Blackbird. On a job, he is spotted by real estate agent Carmen Colson, played by the beautiful Diane Lane. Obviously, Blackbird can't allow her to live, so along with his psychotic partner, Richie, they set out to make sure Carmen and her husband Wayne(Thomas Jane) can't identify them. Carmen and Wayne enter the Witness Protection Program, but that doesn't stop the threats and attacks from these two deranged psychos.

Killshot is based off the Elmore Leonard crime novel, but the script by Hossein Amini lacks Leonard's knack for creating realistic and gritty dialogue. Some of the scenes between Blackbird and Richie are just painful. Richie's character is so over the top annoying that I wanted him dead on the spot before he ruined the entire film Unfortunately my wish was not granted. Mickey Rourke appears to be sleepwalking through every scene as if seeming to not care is an acceptable way of portraying "cool". No, it just looks like you don't care. On the flipside, I rather enjoyed the moments between Carmen and Wayne, who are in the midst of a divorce but forced to stay together throughout this ordeal. It's a nice twist on a fairly typical situation, and some of the rough dialogue between them can be attributed to the marital tensions.

Unfortunately not much else works. Characters flit in and out of this thing without rhyme or reason. Rosario Dawson is here apparently to pick up a paycheck. Carmen's mom is dropped in as a totally nonsensical plot device, as she does something so stupid I'm hoping there's a deleted scene of her getting a lobotomy to justify it. The final showdown is quick and isn't satisfying in the least, and feels like it was thrown together haphazard. There's just not much this film gets right.

But atleast it's mercifully short.

4/10

Next up in The Queue: 2009's Powder Blue

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