The Year That Was: 2014 in Film

Check out ALL of the PDC end of year lists!

Review: Ava DuVernay's 'Selma'

Starring David Oyelowo

Review: Rob Marshall's 'Into The Woods'

Starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Anna Kendrick

Tim Burton's 'Big Eyes'

Starring Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams

Showing posts with label vincent cassel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vincent cassel. Show all posts

Friday, January 23, 2015

New Trailer for Sundance Drama 'Partisan' starring Vincent Cassel


Day one of the Sundance Film Festival has come and gone, and while it doesn't really kick into high gear until today, some movies are already starting to emerge as ones to look out for. One of those is Ariel Kleinman's Partisan, which stars the always-commanding Vincent Cassel in the story of a young boy trying to become a man in a community that doesn't value free expression. Here's the official synopsis:

"The charismatic Gregori (Vincent Cassel) saunters into a hospital maternity ward and charms new mother Susanna. Eleven years later, she and her son Alexander live in Gregori’s closed community, sheltering vulnerable women and their brood in a haven isolated from the outside world. Alexander is Gregori’s prize pupil, eldest son, and star employee in the cottage industry—in which the kids are trained to run dangerous errands to provide for the group—but Gregori feels threatened by the boy’s inquisitive nature, struck by the fear that his child might not love him anymore. Meanwhile, Alexander begins to think for himself."

A new trailer for the film has been released ahead of its premiere this weekend. Check it out below!

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Fall in Love with Brazil in Two Trailers for 'Rio, I Love You'


Brazil is a beautiful place even when it's not hosting the World Cup, but many of the Hollywood depictions we get are of the seedier side, like in 2002's amazing City of God. The producers behind the new omnibus film Rio, I Love You want to show the romantic side of Rio de Janiero with the help of a cast of international superstars, and here are two trailers for it.

While not as star-studded as the earlier films Paris, je t'aime and New York, I Love You (you won't see Bradley Cooper in this one, for instance) the cast and filmmakers have a much broader global flavor. Directors such as Jose Padilha (Robocop), City of God's Fernando Meirelles, Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty), and John Turturro (Fading Gigolo) lead ten segments on love and fate in the South American city.

Featuring Ryan Kwanten, Emily Mortimer, Jason Isaacs, Vincent Cassel, and Harvey Keitel, Rio, I Love You opens in Brazil on September 11th.



Monday, May 19, 2014

Robert De Niro Drives 'Bus 757'; John C. Reilly Joins 'Tale of Tales'; Adrien Brody is the 'Emperor'



* Robert De Niro has added another potentially junky film to his slate, joining the boringly-titled Bus 757. Directed by Scott Mann (The Tournament), the story follows "a casino card dealer who puts together a crew to simultaneously rob a bank and hijack a bus full of hostages to use as collateral. De Niro will play “The Pope,” a casino owner with illegitimate business practices whose assets are the targets of the heist." This has "Wal-Mart $5 bin" written all over it, but we'll see. [Deadline]

* The always reliable John C. Reilly and Toby Jones (Capote) have joined Tale of Tales, the latest film from Gomorrah director, Matteo Garrone.  This is shaping up to be a major project with Oscar winner Alexandre Desplat providing the score and a four month shoot planned. Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel,  Alba Rohrwacher will star in the film based loosely on Giambattista Basile's Tale of Tales, and is described as "a giant fresco of the baroque period, told through stories of three sovereigns ruling under different dynasties." [Cineuropa]

* We haven't seen anything from director Lee Tamahori since 2011's The Devil's Double, but now he's back and set to helm Emperor with Adrien Brody starring. He'll play Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, "trying to hold together a fragmented Empire, in a 16th century world of wealth, debauchery, violent retaliations, sex, manipulation and treason."  The Devil's Double scribe Michael Thomas III penned the first draft while Jeffrey Hatcher (The Duchess) giving it a rewrite.  [Deadline]

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Gorgeous New Trailer for 'Beauty and the Beast' Starring Lea Seydoux and Vincent Cassel


Considering the visual flourishes he's shown on Brotherhood of the Wolf and Silent Hill, the first trailer for Christophe Gans' Beauty and the Beast felt a little flat. But with the film headed to the Berlin Film Festival and on the verge of its French debut, a new trailer has been released that showcases the magical qualities of the story, and the gorgeous cast Gans has put together.

 Lea Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Color) and Vincent Cassel (Trance) lead the film, which appears to be taking a fairly traditional route on the classic story of a beautiful woman who falls in love with a hideous beast. Plenty of CGI and bold costumes await, allowing Gans to put his artistic stamp on the production, so hopefully it'll find a way onto our shores.

Beauty and the Beast opens in France on February 12th.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

First Trailer for 'Beauty and the Beast' Starring Lea Seydoux and Vincent Cassel


Pairing Christophe Gans, the director behind the imaginative Brotherhood of the Wolf and Silent Hill, with fairy tale Beauty and the Beast would seem like a match made in cinematic heaven. Throw in Palm d'Or winner Lea Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Color) and Vincent Cassel (Trance) and there's little wonder so many have extremely high hopes. We've seen a number of gorgeous, colorful images but does the finished product actually work?

The first trailer has arrived and even though it's in French there's no problem picking up on all the familiar story elements. The problem is that other than the gorgeous Seydoux and Cassel's combination of menace and charm, there's little that stands out as inspiring. Actually, it looks far more tame than one would expect from Gans.

Beauty and the Beast has yet to gain a U.S. date but opens in France on February 12th.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

First Poster for 'Beauty and the Beast' with Vincent Cassel and Lea Seydoux


Christophe Gans' vast visual flourishes gave Brotherhood of the Wolf and Silent Hill a lurid, imaginative touch. So the idea of him taking on an updated version of Beauty and the Beast is promising on its own, but through in Vincent Cassel and red-hot Lea Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Color) and the results should be magic.

The first poster for La Belle Et La Bête has been released and it offers up a look at the beast, played by Cassel who starred in Gans' Brotherhood of the Wolf. Don't expect a Disney version of the classic story, either, as Gans will draw mostly from the original 18th century story by Madame de Villeneuve, which is considerably darker and more in line with the director's sensibilities.

Beauty and the Beast opens in France on February 12th 2014 but has yet to gain U.S. distribution. [Allocine]

Saturday, June 9, 2012

David Cronenberg, Viggo Mortensen, and Vincent Cassel returning for 'Eastern Promises' sequel


In 2007, David Cronenberg followed up his surprise hit, A History of Violence, with the Russian gangsta film, Eastern Promises. Starring Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassel, and Naomi Watts, it was a film that a lot of critics loved, but I think is best remembered for being so vastly different from typical Cronenberg stuff. I think it sort of lives and dies by the one scene everyone remembers, with a buck naked Mortensen embroiled in a bloody, wet brawl in a Turkish bathhouse.


There have been rumblings of a possible sequel for awhile now, but it always seemed unlikely for a variety of reasons. It's not a film that screams for a follow-up, and all the principle players are extremely busy. But, what has been clear is that Cronenberg and Mortensen have a soft spot for it, and wanted to return. Now it looks like it's definitely happening, with Vulture reporting that Cassel is also set to reprise his role as the insane Kirill, the mobster's son and boss to Mortensen's Nikolai. Cronenberg will direct, based on a script by original writer, Steven Knight. The story would take place not long after Eastern Promises ended, with Kirill and Nikolai now apparently having inherited the Family throne from the former's father. We probably won't be seeing Watts come back, as her story wrapped up neatly enough.

If all goes according to plan, we'll see Eastern Promises 2 hit production some time next year. I'm interested in seeing where this one goes, mainly because it's so unexpected.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Vincent Cassel and Lea Seydoux are 'Beauty and the Beast' for Christophe Gans

Tired of all the fairy tale movies coming out lately? How many Snow White movies are on the way? Three? Four? Red Riding Hood...Hansel & Gretel...Sleeping Beauty...it's a new one every other week. Well, too bad for you because there's another one on the way, although this one sounds like it could be the best of the bunch.

Vincent Cassel is set to reteam with his Brotherhood of the Wolf director, Christophe Gans, for a big screen version of Beauty and the Beast. Lea Seydoux, who has had a big year appearing in both Midnight in Paris and Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol, is also expected to star. It's unclear right now whether it will be a straight adaptation or a modernization. I'm betting it's the latter, but until we know for sure there's no point speculating on the plot.

Gans is making some pretty big promises about, claiming he'll create "a completely new visual universe never experienced before and produce images of an unparalleled quality." Bold words, but he's shown to have a distinct artistic flair in Brotherhood of the Wolf and Silent Hill, so I have no doubt he can meet his lofty goals. [ThePlaylist]

Monday, January 16, 2012

Vincent Cassel and Jean Dujardin to pair for 'One Wild Moment' remake


The Artist continued to steamroll it's way to the Academy Awards last night, leading the pack with three wins at last night's Golden Globes, including a win for Best Picture Comedy/Musical, and Best Actor Comedy/Musical for star Jean Dujardin. At this point, it has to be considered the frontrunner to take the Best Picture Oscar, while Dujardin might have a fight on his hands with George Clooney.

The film's producer, Thomas Langmann, spoke about what he had coming up next, and not only is he keeping Dujardin around, but he's  bringing France's biggest star in Vincent Cassel(Black Swan) as well. He's planning a remake of France's 1977 hit rom-com, One Wild Moment(Un moment d'égarement). Cassell and Dujardin will play best friends, both in troubled marriages, who take their teenage daughters on a vacation. All seems well until one of the men engages in a sexual relationship with his best friend's daughter. The film was remade here in America as Blame it on Rio, which starred Michael Caine, Joseph Bologna, and a young Demi Moore.


No word on when this one might get underway, but with Langmann's muscle behind it, plus the two biggest male stars France has to offer, expect this one to have a lot of heat behind it. I'm curious to see who they get to play the teenage daughters now.  Check out the below clip from Blame It On Rio as a refresher...[THR]

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Trailer Time: Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Natalie Portman

We're finally getting a look at the Darren Aronofsky's next film, Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman. To say it's about as far away from his last film, The Wrestler, is an understatement. Portman stars alongside Vincent Cassel(Eastern Promises) and Mila Kunis(Forgetting Sarah Marshall), in a story about a bitter rivalry between two ballerinas trying out for the lead role in a production of Swan Lake. It's obvious from the very beginning that there's a lot more to it than that, and at the end of the trailer something very sinister is clearly going on. 

Black Swan is due out on December 1st, 2010. Consider this one on my Must See list for the rest of the year.