Rebecca Hall Joins Joel Edgerton's Directing Debut; Joshua Marston Lands Rachel Weisz, Michael Shannon for Next Film

Joel Edgerton has scored numerous screenwriting credits in some impressive films (The Square, The Rover, Felony), but now he's going all the way by making his directorial debut. The untitled project is described as a contemporary suspense thriller which he'll also write and co-star in, and he's already landed a star in Iron Man 3's Rebecca Hall. No other details are available at this point but this is one to keep an eye on. [TheWrap]

The vastly underrated Joshua Marston (Maria Full of Grace, The Forgiveness of Blood) is setting up his next film, and he's off to a pretty good start with Rachel Weisz and Michael Shannon coming aboard to star. The untitled film centers on "Alice, the intriguing guest introduced at a dinner party hosted by Tom and his wife, celebrating his birthday. Tom increasingly believes he knows Alice but by a different name and a different biography, and suspects that she’s not there entirely by coincidence. The evening spins into a highly-charged reunion between a man in need of making a change in his life and a woman who desperately wants to stop changing." Filming begins early next year and yep, I'm excited for this one! [ScreenDaily]

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Review: “Transcendence,” starring Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, and Paul Bettany

Hurray for Johnny Depp playing a regular, normal human being in a movie in the first time in seemingly forever; he’s not a faux Native American or a vampire or a pirate or a murderous barber or a breakdancing Mad Hatter. Nope, just a regular old scientific genius in Transcendence! Too bad, though, that the movie seems to care very little about that actual science. Instead, this is a frustratingly opaque script, a wasted ensemble cast, and an obvious “message” that makes Transcendence a pretty mediocre way to spend two hours.

Here’s the thing: We’ve been questioning the limits of technology, and the dangers of that limitlessness, in cinema for a very long time. I could point all the way back to 2001: A Space Odyssey, or at the modern classic The Matrix, which turns 15 years old this year (pour one out for the perfection of Keanu Reeves’s cheekbones in that movie). Regardless, the suggestion that it’s humans who corrupt the boundaries of discovery is not new; even as we’ve dealt with the evil HAL and the ever-multiplying Mr. Smith, fundamentally we’re used to the idea that in the wrong hands, science could be dangerous. And yet Transcendence tries to give us that exact same message like it’s a whole new thing, like it’s an idea no one has ever encountered before. Boo.

From first-time director Wally Pfister, who has served as Christopher Nolan’s cinematographer for years, I would expect better. But it’s the story from first-time Jack Paglen that’s really the problem here. There’s the genius scientist angle, of course, but also the love-triangle angle, the abused wife angle, and the technological anarchists angle, and the wise old mentor angle, and the FBI agent angle. There are too many angles! The movie ends up being all edges, without enough natural storytelling flow. It’s impressive how little tension there is in a movie that is ostensibly supposed to be about a human/computer hybrid that wants to take over the world.

The premise is this: Dr. Will Caster (Depp) and his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall), as well as their close friend Max (Paul Bettany), are at the forefront of a scientific revolution. Through extremely advanced software design and nanotechnology, the three of them think they have created a self-sustaining computer, an “intelligent machine” that functions like a human brain. For Will, the PINN (“physically independent neural network”) is his life’s work. He wants to understand how the world works; Evelyn wants to save it; and Max wants to save the people on it. With this breakthrough, they think they can get there.

Except for where not everyone agrees with Will’s ideas; in fact, there’s one anti-technology group, RIFT, which goes so far as to kill to stop the “intelligent machine.” A coordinated attack on labs connected with the Casters leaves researchers dead and Will dying, shot with a bullet traced with radiation poisoning. With only a few weeks left for him to live, Evelyn comes up with a crazy idea: uploading Will’s consciousness onto PINN, sending his neural network into the “physically independent” structure. It’s insane, Max says, but he’ll help her do it.

And when they succeed—to Evelyn’s amazement and Max’s regret—and Will’s consciousness goes inside the computer, and then the Internet, is when the film tries to probe at the how-much-science-is-too-much question. It’s a foregone conclusion that Will wants more power, that his genius can’t be contained within the structural limitations we’re accustomed to. But as Transcendence tries to deal with moral or ethical questions, it can’t do it gracefully. There’s never any question that Will’s consciousness might be dangerous to Evelyn and the world, because everyone tells us so—Max, Morgan Freeman’s mentor character, Cillian Murphy’s FBI agent. And there’s never any attention paid to explaining any of this science so that we can decide for ourselves. Everything, from Will’s engineering of plant life to his curing of human wounds, is done through “synthetic nanotechnology,” and that’s one of those phrases that means everything and nothing at once.

Without any care for helping the audience to understand what’s going on onscreen, Transcendencejust marches along toward the conclusion it gives you in the first five minutes of the film. There’s no surprise here; no nuance. And without any understanding of its subject matter or any interest in making others understand, either, Transcendence gives you very little reason to care.

Rating: 2 out of 5 Guttenbergs

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Seven Clips from 'Transcendence' Starring Johnny Depp

Between the Terminator reboot and Wally Pfister's Transcendence, the age of the self-aware supercomputers is definitely back. With the latter sci-fi film only a couple of weeks away, seven new clips have been released. Starring Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Morgan Freeman, and Paul Bettany, the story follows a team of scientists led by Dr. Will Caster (Depp), who are trying to build the first sentient supercomputer. When anti-technology extremists attack Caster, they unwittingly force him to participate in his own transcendence.

Pfister has done some amazing work as Christopher Nolan's cinematographer, but so far Transcendence hasn't looked terribly impressive visually. We'll have wait until April 18th to see what kind of stamp he puts on his directorial debut. [Collider]

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New Trailer for Wally Pfister's 'Transcendence' Starring Johnny Depp

Taking a break from his longtime collaborator, Christopher Nolan, first-time director Wally Pfister has nonetheless maintained the same level of secrecy. It was late last year that we had our last good look at his ambitious sci-fi film, Transcendence, and after plugging us in to a new poster yesterday, now we're receiving the latest trailer.

Starring Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Cillian Murphy, Kate Mara, Paul Bettany, and Morgan Freeman, the Jack Paglen-scripted film centers on a Dr. Will Caster (Depp), whose dream is to create the ultimate artificial intelligence. This puts him at odds with an anti-technology faction whose violent actions make him a bigger part of the experiment than intended.

It certainly looks good, although the full trailers have yet to have the snap of the short teasers from awhile back. Transcendence opens on April 18th.

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Chadwick Boseman Joins 'Gods of Egypt'; Rebecca Hall Boards 'Tumbledown'; Nikki Reed Opens 'Email'

 * 42 star Chadwick Boseman has been keeping plenty busy ever since that Jackie Robinson biopic. He's currently filming Get On Up in which he'll play James Brown, and he'll be seen next in Draft Day opposite Kevin Costner. Now he'll go all divine and stuff by joining Gods of Egypt, directed by Alex Proyas. Starring Gerard Butler, Geoffrey Rush, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Brenton Thwaites, and Courtney Eaton, the film centers on a group of rebels battling against the evil god, Set. Boseman will play Thoth, the god of wisdom in the February 12th 2016 release. [Deadline]

* Rebecca Hall, soon to be seen in Transcendence opposite Johnny Depp, has joined the cast of rom-com, Tumbledown.  Directed by Sean Mewshew and starring Jason Sudeikis, Joe Manganiello, and Blythe Danner, the film follows a widow struggling to write a biography about her late husband, a famous musician. That changes when she meets a brash New York academic with a different take on her husband's life and death. The unlikely pair must collaborate to craft the famous singer’s story and begin to write the next chapter in their lives together.

* Just when you thought it was safe to use Yahoo Mail, Nikki Reed goes and signs on for Email, a horror from director Kelvin Tong. Reed will play "a journalist who travels to Singapore to investigate the mysterious circumstances of her sister’s death and discovers a string of bizarre killings involving a cursed email. Along the way she meets Ted, an ex-pat technology reporter, and together they face the supernatural forces and unravel a mysterious conspiracy far bigger than they expected." So basically it's You've got Mail meets The Ring? Blergh. 

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Full Trailer for 'Transcendence' Starring Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, and Rebecca Hall

After a couple of mysterious, very analytical teasers released earlier this week, a new full trailer is here for Wally Pfister's directorial debut, Transcendence. Starring Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Paul Bettany, and Cillian Murphy, the high-concept sci-fi film centers on Dr. Will Caster, a scientist who creates the first sentient artificial intelligence, putting him at odds with anti-technology terrorists. In their attempts to destroy his work, they unwittingly set him on the dangerous path to transcendence. What's probably most surprising about this trailer is how ordinary it looks, and maybe we're expecting too much stylistically because of Pfister's work with Christopher Nolan, but for me this is a little disappointing.

Transcendence opens April 18th 2014. Check out the trailer and another one of those cool teasers below.


TRANSCENDENCE - Trailer by dmagianet

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First Look at Johnny Depp and Morgan Freeman in 'Transcendence'

After spending years as Christopher Nolan's cinematographer, Wally Pfister has learned a thing or two about keeping a film under a shroud of mystery. We've been told, much less shown, very little about his directorial debut, Transcendence, but like all secretive projects the curtain has to be lifted at some point. That time starts now as EW has snagged the first official images, plus a brand new synopsis that sheds some light on the star-studded sci-fi film.

These photos don't reveal an awful lot but do show off the impressive cast that includes Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, and Cillian Murphy. Here's the brand new plot, courtesy of Bleeding Cool:

Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions. His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him.


However, in their attempt to destroy Will, they inadvertently become the catalyst for him to succeed—to be a participant in his own transcendence. For his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and best friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany), both fellow researchers, the question is not if they can…but if they should.

Their worst fears are realized as Will’s thirst for knowledge evolves into a seemingly omnipresent quest for power, to what end is unknown. The only thing that is becoming terrifyingly clear is there may be no way to stop him.

Sounds like quite the ambitious project for Pfister's first time holding the reins. Presumably this means a trailer will be arriving soon so we can get a better look at how well he's pulled it off. Co-starring Kate Mara and Paul Bettany, Transcendence opens April 18th 2014. 

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Set Photo, Featurette and Teaser Poster for Wally Pfister's 'Transcendence'

From Memento to The Dark Knight Rises, Wally Pfister has been making Christopher Nolan's movies look incredible for a long time. The famed cinematographer's career has risen right alongside Nolan's, and after wrapping up the Batman trilogy he decided to follow in his footsteps by making his directorial debut, Transcendence. The story centers on a scientist who has his mind uploaded into a supercomputer after he is murdered by anti-technology radicals. Considering the veil of secrecy that has been draped over the production, it's clear he picked up a few of Nolan's tricks, but now that shooting is taking place we're finally starting to see some imagery and footage from the anticipated sci-fi flick.

An international featurette takes us behind-the-scenes of Transcendence, giving us a glimpse at the celebrity cast which includes Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, Kate Mara, Clifton Collins, Paul Bettany, and Cole Hauser. Along with it comes a new set photo, and a Chinese promo poster. The film is being co-financed by Beijing's DMG Entertainment, and its founder Dan Mintz opened up a little about the plot...

Mintz: "Without giving away too much, Transcendence is about that moment when human consciousness and the insanely fast rise of computing power collide. It pulls from the idea of singularity to tell a truly meaningful story that is more ‘science reality’ than science fiction. This is something that is likely to happen in our lifetimes and that makes it a story everyone can get into."

The featurette is short, but is notable because of the presence of Hall, who already popular in China due to her presence in Iron Man 3. Unlike that film, there won't be any China-specific footage when Transcendence opens on April 18th 2014.

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Review: 'Iron Man 3' starring Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow

With the exception of last year's bombastic, $1B-grossing The Avengers, it's safe to say that Marvel's slate of superhero films have been pretty interchangeable up to this point. That's not to say they're bad, but if you swapped Jon Favreau's direction for Joe Johnston's, nobody's going to bat an eye. It's a formula that's worked, obviously, but it also comes with the risk of the films having the same texture, especially as Marvel pumps out more each year. Iron Man 3, however, boasts the authoritative voice and direction of Shane Black, known for chatty action-buddy films like Lethal Weaponand Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, the latter having gone a long way in applying jumper cables to Robert Downey Jr.'s flagging career.

Black's presence is felt almost immediately, as Tony Stark rattles off expeditious quips like Mel Gibson used to with Danny Glover. He's even given his own little array of silly sidekicks to exchange bits of dark humor with. Sometimes it's Don Cheadle as James "Iron Patriot" Rhodes; for a while it's a precocious 8-year old boy genius; and other times it's just the armor itself. Even the action feels a little retro, like we've been transported back to 1989. You half expect the 1980s stereotype villain of curious ethnic origin to turn up so Stark can smack him down verbally while smacking him down physically. Oh wait, that's here too.  It works to make Iron Man 3 the most distinctive film in Marvel's cinematic canon yet, and even if it's not a total winner, it's still an enjoyable beginning to Marvel's next phase.

One of the many things Marvel has done completely right is making sure the events of their films don't happen in a vacuum, and this has been especially true for Iron Man. In the wake of New York's destruction, Stark is a changed man, afflicted with panic attacks and racked with concern for the people he loves. He's seen far more than any man should ever see, and for someone of his intellect it's impossible to brush aside the presence of invading aliens and Norse thunder gods. His obsession has begun to affect his relationship with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), as he spends nearly every waking moment locked in his lab.

A humorous flashback to 1999 Sweden puts all of the chess pieces in play. A younger, pre-Iron Man Tony Stark has a one-night stand with brilliant scientist Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), while his bodyguard Happy Hogan (former Iron Man director Jon Favreau) accidentally blows up one of her experiments. An encounter with the nerdy Aldritch Killian (Guy Pearce) leads to Stark giving him the cold shoulder, a dismissive act that will come to have repercussions in the present. Killian returns, looking...well, like a suave Guy Pearce, and attempts to sell Pepper on his latest technology, something called Extremis. Meanwhile, a Bin Laden-esque terrorist known as the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) is dominating the airwaves with threats against the United States, even going so far as to threaten the life of the sitting President. When he begins actually blowing places up, like Hollywood's famous Grauman's Theater, Stark springs into action and gets a lot more than he could have ever bargained for. We're talking fire-breathing nuclear soldiers here.

We've been led to believe up to this point that the film will be the bleakest yet, and while Stark suffers more than his share of personal tragedies along the way, the mood never gets too dour. That's a product of the snappy script by Black and Drew Pearce, which always finds a way to lighten the mood even at the darkest moments. That doesn't mean the film is shallow by any means, as there are some solid character beats here. The question that has been at the center of the franchise up to this point has been "What makes Iron Man a hero?" Is it the suit of armor? Or is it the man inside the armor? Black and Pearce really dig into what makes Stark tick, and this film marks the completion of his evolution from egotistical billionaire to bona fide superhero. There's less of Stark in the suit blasting repulsor rays and firing smart bombs at his foes, instead focusing on the brilliance of the man. Investigator, secret agent, inventor...all of those aspects of his personality takes center stage.
At the same time, some may find themselves wishing he'd just whip up an all-powerful armor and blow down the Mandarin's doors with a well-placed rocket. When the action does happen, it happens in spectacular fashion. In particular a scene in which the Mandarin attacks Stark's mountainside home is breathtaking in its wanton destruction. Black's inexperience with action on this scale does occasionally come through. The final fight is a mess that is only saved by the clever tag-teaming of Stark and Rhodes, and a mid-air rescue of falling Air Force One passengers never packs the expected pizazz. It's fine, but nothing more than that.

Downey is terrific, of course, and the life of this superhero party. He's become so familiar with the character that it's practically impossible to distinguish where he ends and Stark begins. His ability to humanize Stark is blunted a little bit by the script, which includes all of Black's usual quirks. He's more concerned with making sure Stark is well-equipped with an arsenal of self-referential jokes and non-sequitors than digging too deep into his internal turmoil. There are a couple of surprising twists, one of which is a laugh riot those familiar with Black's sense of humor will appreciate.  Not all of the many many jokes land, but this is far and away the funniest Iron Man movie yet.

As great as Downey is, the secret weapon has always been the supporting cast. Cheadle has a lot more to do this time as the newly-minted Iron Patriot, and is game for whatever the situation calls for, whether it's playing the tough military man or as Stark's running-buddy. Kingsley's always been a chameleon, an attribute that serves him well as Mandarin. It's an interesting take on the character, vastly different the insulting Chinese caricature from the comics. Rebecca Hall shows a great deal of nuance to a role she probably could have slept through. Pearce is largely upstaged by the threatening presence of James Badge Dale as Mandarin's hired muscle. Gwyneth Paltrow has always been the franchise's emotional core, and we see that put on display in some really inventive ways.

There's a sense of finality that creeps in during the explosive coup de grace, and it's hard not to wonder what the future holds for Tony Stark. What Shane Black has proven is that Marvel can take more risks by hiring filmmakers who specialize in specific genres that many wouldn't normally associate with blockbuster comic book adaptations. Iron Man 3 has its share of problems, and will certainly face some competition from Man of Steel, but it's an exciting summer blast that will have you anxious to see what else Marvel has up its sleeve.

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New trailer for 'Iron Man 3' shows off Stark's army

They've been building up to it for days, and now Marvel has released the awesome new trailer for Iron Man 3. So far they've done a good job of selling this as Tony Stark hitting his lowest point, and that trend continues here. But what's also clear is this is the biggest film in the franchise yet, showing off the epic scale and action that looks absolutely incredible.

How incredible are we talking? Besides Ben Kingsley's menacing threats as Mandarin, we also get an incredible look at Iron Man's drone army, which seems to include the Hulkbuster Armor! Maybe those World War Hulk rumors weren't so far off, after all?

Iron Man 3 hits theaters on May 3rd. Did this presumably final trailer measure up?


Iron Man 3 trailer 2 by 2013venjix

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Rebecca Hall joins Johnny Depp in Wally Pfister's 'Transcendence'

It's looking like a pretty big year for Rebecca Hall, who probably six months ago people associated with smaller, indie films. Now she's got Iron Man 3 coming up in just a couple of months, and now she's joined Transcendence, the directorial debut of Christopher Nolan's long time cinematographer, Wally Pfister.

Hall had been rumored for the film awhile ago, along with Rooney Mara and Emily Blunt, making this one highly sought after role. She'll join Johnny Depp and Paul Bettany in the sci-fi flick about a scientist who uploads his brain into a supercomputer after he's assassinated. Hall would likely play the scientist wife of Depp's character.

With Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas producing, Transcendence is going to be a pretty big deal. The story is largely being kept in secret, par for the course for anything Nolan is remotely associated with. Hall knows how that works, though, as she co-starred in his magician film The Prestige. Look for the film to hit theaters next year on April 25th.

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New image of Rebecca Hall in 'Iron Man 3'

The Iron Man 3 TV spot will be debuting during the Super Bowl, and it seems like Marvel is determined to do something new every day leading up to it. Today they've released a new snap of Rebecca Hall, who plays scientist Maya Hansen, and she looks quite gorgeous I must say.

Hansen is one of the scientists, along with Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), working on the Extremis nanovirus that will play a major role in the story. In the image you can see she has a nasty scratch on her head, which we can assume she got during Mandarin's attack on Tony Stark's home. It's in the trailer, after all. Can't really tell what all that is she's got around her desk, but I'm sure somebody with way too much time on their hands has a magnifying glass on it right now.

Directed by Shane Black, Iron Man 3 opens on May 3rd. 

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Emily Blunt, Rooney Mara, and Rebecca Hall up for female lead in "Transcendence'

After a bit of secrecy, we're starting to learn more about Transcendence, the directorial debut from Christopher Nolan's longtime cinematographer, Wally Pfister. We already know Johnny Depp is set for the lead role of a scientist, and earlier we received our most detailed plot description yet. But there are primary parts left to be filled, and while we've heard multiple A-listers mentioned previously, we're now getting a firmer idea of who the female lead might be.

Deadline reports that Rooney Mara, Rebecca Hall, and Emily Blunt are all in contention for what would be the role of Evelyn, the wife of Depp's character and the one who uploads his mind into a supercomputer after he's been assassinated. We'd heard Kate Winslet and Noomi Rapace mentioned for the part before, with both dropping away due to scheduling. The same could happen to Blunt, whose All You Need is Kill schedule will probably prevent her participation. Either Hall or Mara would make solid choices, though.

We'll know the decision by this weekend, apparently, which means the other role will likely be filled soon after. Filming is set to begin next March for an IMAX release probably in 2014.

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Trailer Time: 'The Awakening', starring Rebecca Hall and Dominic West

The Awakening received some hearty buzz after it premiered in Toronto last year, with much of the praise aimed at the film's commitment to creating a moody atmosphere. The film opened in the UK last November, and with an American release right around the corner, a new trailer for the psychological horror has been unveiled.

Set in London not long after WWI, the film stars Rebecca Hall(Please Give) as an author who has devoted her career towards exposing frauds, in particular of the supernatural variety. With the memory of her recently deceased husband still haunting her, she's called in to investigate the death of a student at an all-boy's school, only to discover that something strange may be going on that her science can't explain. Dominic West(The Wire) plays a mysterious teacher at the school, with Imelda Staunton(Vera Drake) co-starring as well. Directed by Nick Murphy, he has to be a little disappointed at the cut of this trailer, which doesn't make the film look all that special. It isn't helped by what looks like a subdued performance by Hall and West's tendency for the over dramatic.

The Awakening is set to hit theaters on August 17th....

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Rebecca Hall takes Jessica Chastain's role in 'Iron Man 3'

With Jessica Chastain revealing yesterday that she would be unable to take the female lead in Iron Man 3, Marvel was left with a pretty big gap on their hands. When you aim high and briefly score a direct hit by landing such a popular actress, you can't just bring in any ol' body to replace her. Fortunately, Marvel and director Shane Black have again shot for the moon, and came up with an excellent choice in The Town star, Rebecca Hall.

Variety reports that Hall will take on the lead role of Maya Hansen, who in Warren Ellis's classic Extremis comics storyline is a colleague of Aldrich Killian(Guy Pearce), and one of the creators of the nano-technology that plays a pivotal part in the story. Ben Kingsley will play the villain squaring off against Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, with Don Cheadle and Gwyneth Paltrow returning. Chinese superstar, Andy Lau, is also on board in a small role.

I like Rebecca Hall just fine, even though I think she's too often in roles where she's too angelic to be believed. Ironic, I know, considering Chastain's heavenly role in The Tree of Life, but there's a definite difference between the two actresses. Still, Hall should make for a nice foil to Paltrow in the inevitable love triangle we're bound to see in the film. Iron Man 3 opens on May 3rd 2013. 

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Rumor: 'Robocop' remake may include Gael Garcia Bernal, Edward Norton, Sean Penn, and Rebecca Hall

Ok, rumor time, folks. Take this one with a serious grain of salt, but if it pans out Joel Kinnaman will be the least recognizable face in Jose Padilha's Robocop remake. By an extremely large margin. 

The Tracking Board, a boom or bust news site if there ever was one, has reported that Gael Garcia Bernal(The Science of Sleep), Edward Norton, and Rebecca Hall(The Town) are circling major supporting roles in the film. They also state that Sean Penn is being looked at for a role as right wing news reporter who sticks to his guns. Norton would play...well, a scientist named Norton who helps bring Alex Murphy back to life as Robocop. Hall would play Clara, Murphy's former wife before he died, and now is in a relationship with his old detective partner, Jack Lewis, played by Bernal.

The roles make sense in relation to Paul Verhoeven's 1987 film, but there's no sourcing for the info so it's hard to hold completely credible. If it were to pan out, though, that would be an incredible roster which should take a lot of the pressure off of Kinnaman.

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Baz Luhrmann testing the Gatsby waters?

One of the few possible projects that has me really excited is Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, which has been talked about and discussed for a couple of years now but sprung back to the forefront just recently when it was rumored that Leonardo Dicaprio, Tobey Maguire, Amanda Seyfried, and Natalie Portman could all be involved. While nothing was set in stone, recent information could indicate that things are moving along more assuredly than previously thought.

The Wrap reports Maguire and Dicaprio have been workshopping scenes from the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic with Luhrmann. Maguire has been reading for the part of Nick Carraway, Dicaprio as the mysteriously rich Gatsby, and Rebecca Hall(Please Give) as Daisy Buchanan, Gatsby's love interest. Does this mean that Amanda Seyfried is out? I doubt Hall is being used as a placeholder. She's too good of an actress for that.

This doesn't exactly make it a done deal that Gatsby will be Luhrmann's next project, but it certainly would seem to be so. Honestly I'd rather have Seyfried in the lead role moreso than Hall, just because I think she could portray Daisy's shallowness far better. Daisy is a cheerful but vapid character, something which I've yet to see Hall play. She seems better suited to intellectual, self aware types. 

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The Town

Let's face it, Ben Affleck has had it sorta rough. Derided for his good lucks and for not being quite the superstar like hishomeboy Matt Damon, Affleck has suffered criticism after criticism. He's always been a solid actor, whether people wanted to give him credit for it or not. His problem has been poor choices. Whether it was that whole J-Lo Gigli disaster, or junk like Surviving Christmas, he's shot himself in the foot plenty of times. Around 2006, when Affleck starred in the underappreciated biopic, Hollywoodland, I noticed a change. No longer was he appearing in these fluffy flicks trying to look and act like a star. He was letting his ability do the work. He was getting back into just being an actor again. In 2007 Affleck put his hometown of Boston on the criminal map with his triumphant directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone. He returns to those mean streets in his equally mesmerizing follow-up, The Town.

Affleck brings the full force of his charisma to bear as Doug Mackray, the brains behind a violent crew of bank robbers in crime infested Charlestown, Massachusetts. Their thuggish, street level appearance is the perfect cover for the precision of their attacks, a combination of ingenuity and aggression that has left the cops clueless. His right hand man is his childhood best friend, Jem Couglin(Jeremy Renner), a pent up powder keg with a chip firmly planted on his shoulder. In the film's blistering opening moments, Doug and his skeleton masked crew in the midst of another well-practiced heist. The threat of violence is enough to keep most under their thrall, and all seems to be going as usual. That is until Doug lays eyes on terrified bank manager, Claire(Rebecca Hall), and is instantly smitten. Taken captive, Claire is eventually released, terrorized but physically unharmed. Jem isn't quite so sure they should've kept her alive as a potential witness, but Doug steps in and volunteers to find out if she can identify them. Rather than questioning her, he insinuates himself into her life, forging a tenuous relationship built on secrets.

Claire becomes Doug's ray of hope. His shot at finally getting out of the bloody world of cops and robbers. It's not so simple, as Doug has backers who are counting on his team for one more major heist. If Doug doesn't pull it off, Claire could be killed. He's being pursued by a dogged, determined cop(Mad Men's Jon Hamm) who's finally gotten their scent. His embittered father(Chris Cooper), is locked away for life and has no answers to give. Jem is falling apart at the seams and threatening to kill everyone he comes in contact with. Not good considering Doug has a child with Jem's drugged out sister, Krista(Blake Lively). In a world full of crap, Claire is his only real chance at escape, and if she finds out he was behind the most traumatic experience of her life, that could all fall apart as well. Doug's life is one great highwire act.

It's easy to forget, but Affleck has won an Oscar for screenwriting in the past, and his gift for capturing natural words on the page is in full display. Everything about The Town is completely authentic. He gets what Boston is all about, moreso than Scorsese ever came close to in The Departed. He gets the mood of the people, the hopelessness right around the corner. He understands it. We're treated to what is basically a familiar premise, that of a criminal making "one last heist" before riding off into the sunset. There have been a number of these flicks in the last few months, yet The Town stands completely on it's own, and that has more to do with the pace and the natural flow of the storytelling. Every moment is intense, whether it's one of the many amazing car chases through the cramped alleyways, or when Doug and Claire are sharing a few anxious moments together. Some of the actions of the police force could be considered illogical, and the conclusion seems a bit pieced together and rushed.

Affleck has gathered together a supporting cast that rounds pulls it all together perfectly. Perhaps no other actor can steal a single scene the way Chris Cooper can. As Doug's father, an old lion trapped in a cage with no hope for freedom and younger prisoners snapping at his heels, he could be up for a supporting actor nomination in a few months.  Renner, who has been Hollywood's "It" guy since The Hurt Locker, gives a menacing and feral performance. Even Blake Lively shows a range I've not seen from her in a feature film until now. My only gripe is with Rebecca Hall, although my complaint has more to do with her character. She's just a little too saintly and perfect. A more real, slightly flawed love interest would have been a better fit in a film that is staggeringly genuine in every other aspect.

Two films in and Ben Affleck has already established himself as one of the top directors working today. Chances are he'll move on to other projects taking place in other cities, but his heart and soul will forever be in Boston. Let's hope that he doesn't move too far away from his roots, because we desperately need more intense, perceptive crime dramas like The Town. There can never be enough.

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Snap Judgements: Please Give

Nicole Holofcener has been driving me to the cliff of insanity with her movies for years. The writer/director of such Lovely & Amazing, Walking & Talking, and Friends with Money, her films are always superbly cast but devoid of real emotion. You can always find Catherine Keener entrenched in the middle somewhere, pulling grunt duty trying to bring any emotional weight she can to Holofcener's consistent story of upper middle class W.A.S.P. angst. I look at the director as the female version of Guy Ritchie. Not that she makes action flicks, but in that if I strung all of her films together without breaks you'd never know the difference. They all look and feel the same. Please Give is no different, but in its attempt to explore the contradictions and hypocracies of its characters it is absolutely her best work to date.

Kate(Keener) and Alex(Oliver Platt) spend way too much together. Afterall they are married, with a teenage daughter suffering from bad skin and chronic insecurity. They own a high-end furniture store in Manhattan, buying up the merchandise of the deceased then marking them up to ridiculous prices for sale. It's a scummy job, but apparenly somebody's gotta do it. Adding to the yuck factor is their vulture-like hovering over their next door neighbor, an elderly woman named Andra. Kate and Alex have an agreement that when she finally kicks the bucket they get first dibs on her apartment, which will become part of an expansion. She's a feisty old goat, though, tended to by her loving granddaughter, Rebecca(Rebecca Hall). The other granddaughter, Mary(Amanda Peet), is a shallow, superficial facialist who never holds back from showing her hatred towards Andra. 

Kate doesn't know how to feel. She adores her upper class lifestyle, but simulanteously feels guilty when confronted by those who are less fortunate. Yet she continues to take advantage of those very same people. She deprives her own daughter, preferring to give money to strangers than family. Her relationship with Alex is less husband/wife and more co-worker/buddy, and she's starting to wonder if it'll ever be the way it used to be.

After about twenty minutes I was tempted to walk out of the theater, not willing to sit through another Holofcener whine fest. Then a funny thing happened and these characters started to become real. My biggest problem with her work isn't necessarily that she's a poor writer or the acting is awful, but that we're never really given a reason to care. Not that the  problems of the upper class are any less burdensome than anybody else's, but we need to be shown why we should even try to relate. These are all very shallow people, and their problems don't go beyond the surface level. Kate is the only one who recognizes her own nature, and that recognition further erodes her self-confidence. It's not a role that I'm used to seeing Catherine Keener play, which might be why it struck such a chord with me. I wish all of the other characters got the attention that Kate does. Unfortunately most of their ventures don't get much screen time and never amount to much. I'd like to say that Rebecca Hall continues her streak of stand out performances, but her character is too much the reverse of everybody else. Where they are all hatable, she's way too saintly to be believed.

Please Give isn't exactly a walk in the park. It's not cheerful at all, and most of the characters are either loathsome or pitiful. But they are fun to watch as they crash about in their shallow lives, and there's even the possibility of a happy ending if you look closely enough.

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