Jennifer Aniston Drinks and Pops Pills in First Trailer for 'Cake'

We've been down this route with Jennifer Aniston before; the one where he takes on a completely stripped down role in an indie feature and turns everybody's head with her acting. That was more than a decade ago with The Good Girl, a film that earned her an Indie Spirit Award nomination and other accolades. Earlier this year Aniston began generating some festival buzz for Cake, which sees her once again stripping down the glamor (rather than just stripping down as in Horrible Bosses 2 or We're the Millers) in taking on the darkest role of her career.

But is the film any good? Well...that's up for debate. While the reviews were split after it premiered at Toronto, the real proof may be that producers failed to find distribution, ultimately being forced to start their own company to release it.  Rarely is that such a good sign. Aniston plays Claire Simmons, an emotionally crippled woman who begins obsessing over the suicide by a member (Anna Kendrick) of her support group. Meanwhile, the self-absorbed Claire begins having an affair with the dead woman's widower, played by Sam Worthington. Adriana Barraza, William H. Macy, Felicity Huffman, Lucy Punch, Chris Messina, Britt Robertson, Mamie Gummer, and the late Misty Upham co-star with Daniel Barnz (Beastly) directing.

We've seen a complete transformation in Aniston as she's embraced her risque side in R-rated comedies, but dramatic roles have been few. The thing is, she's actually pretty good when given the opportunity to branch out into more serious work. Cake may not be the film that gets her any awards contention but it may open the door to other opportunities. After a one-week Oscar qualifying run next month Cake will open in January.



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Review: William H. Macy's 'Rudderless', Starring Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin, and Laurence Fishburne

School shootings are a pretty taboo subject to tackle in fiction and especially in film. To be honest, the only one that sticks out in my mind is Gus Van Zant’s Elephant. Now for some this might be spoiler-y but one of the major factors in the arc of the film is a school shooting. In Rudderless, Billy Crudup plays Sam, a father who loses his son after he commits a school shooting and dies. This sends Sam into an unhinged spiral in his life. He was a successful and straight-laced upper middle class father and two years later he’s an aimless man living on a boat who paints houses and rides a bike. His life changes again after he obtains his son’s songbook and guitar that allows him to deal, on some level, with what happened.

That’s all in the beginning, but it’s a confusing pace at first that I feel it is a hindrance to the overall film. Although it must be purposeful from director William H. Macy (who has a small role) to give you some of the feelings Sam is experiencing. Anton Yelchin as Quentin plays a young musician who ends up befriending Sam and is the other main character in this. Billy and Anton have good onscreen presence together and give off a realistic feeling friendship and mentor/mentee relationship. With so much of the film focused on these characters, a lot of the other actors are a tad bit forgettable, besides Laurence Fishburne, who plays the music store owner Del. He's clearly the trope of a wise Black male to be a voice of reason for both of the main characters. He’s great but I got to call it as I see it.

This film has a lot of musical performances, which I feel is where most of the interesting direction happens. The rest of the film, cinematography-wise, is a bit standard in shot selection. Close-up here, then medium shot there, long shot establishing new scene and place. It’s not a feast for the eyes, but it’s not really needed for this film. With the focus so much on Crudup, it’s on him a lot to hold your focus on the screen. Luckily he gives a great performance that doesn’t leave you bored.

Now it does in a way wrap it all up a little too fast in my opinion. I also bet people think Selena Gomez is a selling point with her being in the film, but she’s really not in it much, so if you’re a fan of her you might feel some type of way about it if you’re expecting to see her perform in a quieter film than say Spring Breakers. Rudderless is a pretty good character study about grief and guilt and how it can flip those left behind upside down. The cast and the crew do a good job and now there is something else to look out for now with the name William H. Macy, actor and director.

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Trailer for William H. Macy's Directorial Debut 'Rudderless' with Billy Crudup, Selena Gomez, and Anton Yelchin

One of the movies I heard a great deal about at Sundance, some of it good and some bad, was William H. Macy's directorial debut, Rudderless. The film sounds a lot like John Carney's recent musical drama Begin Again, exploring music and its power to make our lives better even in the face of terrible hardship. And with a release date only a few weeks away the first trailer has been released and it looks those who heaped praise on it may have been right.

Macy has gathered a strong cast with Billy Crudup, Anton Yelchin, Selena Gomez, Felicty Huffman, Laurence Fishburne, and Jamie Chung for the story of Sam (Crudup) a father struggling to deal with the death of his son. Turning to alcohol to cope with the pain, he finds a different coping mechanism when a box of his son's demo tapes is uncovered, revealing a gift for music Sam never knew he had. Learning to play the songs as a means of connecting with his child, Sam and another young man (Yelchin) form a rock band that becomes more popular than expected.

Rudderless hits VOD and theaters on October 17th.


Rudderless trailer 1 (2014) - Selena Gomez Movie (HD) by MovieTrailerz

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Luke Evans Climbs 'High-Rise'; William H. Macy Joins 'Blood Father'; Taissa Farmiga in Untitled Break-Up Film

* Luke Evans, who had a pretty great 2013 as Bard the Bowman in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and as the villain in Fast & Furious 6, has joined Ben Wheatley's new thriller, High-Rise. The anticipated adaptation of J.G. Ballard's book features Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, James Purefoy, and Sienna Miller in lead roles, and takes place in a dystopian society in a luxury high-rise cut off from the rest of humanity. However, a class system emerges in the building and sparks a violent confrontation amongst different tribes. [DailyMail]

* William H. Macy has tweeted an image of himself alongside Mel Gibson on the set of Blood Father, revealing that he has joined the action-thriller in the vein of Taken.  While Jean-Francois Richet (Mesrine) is directing, the real reason for optimism is The Town writer Peter Craig's screenplay which centers on an ex-con who reunites with his estranged wayward 16-year old daughter to protect her from drug dealers who are trying to kill her. Macy's role is unclear but this is one film to keep an eye on for next year.

* Taissa Farmiga, last seen in the psychological thriller Anna, is starring alongside Ben Rosenfield (Boardwalk Empire) in an untitled film from director Hannah Fidell. This will be Fidell's second film after last year's Sundance-debuting drama, A Teacher, which is currently being developed by HBO as a series. Fidell wrote the script with Mark Duplass (Safety Not Guaranteed)  producing the story about a "young couple, who have been together from high school and who are about to graduate college when events threaten to tear them apart." Lindsay Burdge, Joshua Leonard, Peter Vack and Jennifer Lafleur co-star. Filming is already completed so hopefully we'll hear about a title and potential release date. [THR]

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Trailer for Clark Gregg's 'Trust Me' Starring Sam Rockwell

It's been six years since Phil Coulson...er, Clark Gregg's last directorial effort, the Chuck Palahniuk adaptation, Choke. He's been pretty busy dealing with superheroes in the Marvel Universe ever since, but now he's getting back behind the camera for Trust Me, and now it has a trailer.

Gregg also wrote and stars in the film, playing an agent for child actors who discovers a teenaged star (Saxon Sharbino) who may finally catapult him into the big time. But first he has to deal with the girl's overprotective father, scheming producers, and his nemesis played by Sam Rockwell. The cast is great with Allison Janney, Amanda Peet, Felicity Huffman, and her husband William H. Macy all making appearances. It's a premise brimming with potential, so hopefully Gregg is able to make the most of out of it.

Trust Me hits VOD on May 6th and theaters a month later. 

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Anna Kendrick and Sam Worthington Serve Up 'Cake' with Jennifer Aniston

After a couple of $200M R-rated comedy hits in Horrible Bosses and We're the Millers, Jennifer Aniston is going a different route with the indie drama, Cake. And while director Daniel Barnz (Beastly, Won't Back Down) scored quite a coup getting her to headline the film, the rest of the cast is shaping up to be even more impressive.

According to The Wrap, Anna Kendrick, Sam Worthington, William H. Macy and his wife Felicity Huffman, Britt Robertson (Tomorrowland), Chris Messina, Lucy Walters (Shame), Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Camille Mana (Smart People), and Manuel Garcia Rulfo have joined the cast. Patrick Tobin's script wound up on the 2013 Black List and has Aniston playing "an acerbic woman named Claire who becomes fascinated by the suicide of Nina, a woman in her chronic pain support group. As she uncovers the details of Nina's suicide and develops a poignant relationship with Nina's husband, Claire also grapples with her own very raw personal tragedy." Kendrick will play Nina who reappears as a ghost to taunt Claire, with Worthington as Nina's husband.  Messina will be Claire's ex-husband while Huffman is the facilitator of a support group.

No word on when filming will begin or how this will fit into Kendrick's schedule. She has Pitch Perfect 2 coming up, and recently wrapped Disney musical, Into the Woods. She had three movies at Sundance that are all expected to drop some time this year: Joe Swanberg's Happy Christmas, Life After Beth opposite Dane DeHaan, and Marjane Satrapi's The Voices.

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Tahar Rahim Leads 'Le Père Noël'; Kid Cudi Joins 'Entourage'; Brittany Snow, William H. Macy to 'Dial-A-Prayer'

* After starring in emotionally devastating dramas A Prophet and The Past, Tahar Rahim is taking on something lighter with the Christmas comedy, Le Pere Noel. Directed by Alexandre Coffre, the film "begins one evening on 24 December. More than anything else in the world, six-year-old Antoine wants to have a sleigh ride through the sky with Father Christmas… So when, as if by magic, Father Christmas lands on his balcony, the child is too amazed to see through Santa’s disguise and realise that he is actually a burglar who will not let anyone get in the way of his night’s work. Each in search of his own dream, “Father Christmas” and his apprentice team up for one night only to scale the Parisian rooftops and steal the riches contained within the handsome, deserted apartments.” So a French Bad Santa, basically? Sounds good to me. [Cineuropa]

* One of the last big developments on HBO's Entourage was the promotion of Ari Gold's tortured assistant, Lloyd. That means Ari's in need of a new assistant to make miserable, and that role will be filled by rapper Kid Cudi aka Scott Mescudi. He joins Billy Bob Thornton and Haley Joel Osment as new additions to the Entourage family, with director Doug Ellin and all of the original cast returning. Cudi will be seen next in Need for Speed opposite Aaron Paul.

* Brittany Snow and William H. Macy are in talks for the indie comedy, Dial-A-Prayer, from actress/director Maggie Kiley. While Macy's role is unknown, Snow will play " a young woman named Cora who is sentenced to community service working in a prayer request call center. She discovers a sense of accomplishment from the work until she finds out a boy she thinks she helped save is hiding a secret from her." Snow recently agreed to return for Pitch Perfect 2, while Macy was just at Sundance premiering Rudderless, his directorial debut. [THR]

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William H. Macy adds Selena Gomez, Billy Crudup, Laurence Fishburne, and Anton Yelchin to "Rudderless'

 

In a way it's surprising that William H. Macy is only now making his feature directorial debut with the musical drama, Rudderless. A consummate character actor who has worked with some of the great filmmakers over his 30+ year career, including David Mamet, the Coen Brothers, and Paul Thomas Anderson, Macy has always seemed like a natural to make the transition behind the camera. With his wife Felicity Huffman set to co-star alongside him, Macy has now gathered an impressive group to help make his first film go smoothly.

Laurence Fishburne, Selena Gomez, Billy Crudup, and Anton Yelchin have joined Rudderless, which is based on a story conceived by Macy along with screenwriters Casey Twenter and Jeff Robison.  The film follows a grieving father in a downward spiral who discovers a box of original music written by his dead son. He forms a band to perform the songs and in the process learns to find peace and cope with the loss. No word on the roles each actor will play, but we know Macy will take on the lead role of the father.

It's a solid group that should fit in well with the sorts of films Macy usually finds himself acting in. The only exception may be Gomez, and it'll be interesting to see how she fits into the picture.  Filming on Rudderless begins later this month. [Variety]

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The Lincoln Lawyer, starring Matthew McConaughey

Slick Los Angeles lawyer Mickey Haller(Matthew McConaughey) has the city in the palm of his hand. A high powered defense attorney happy to count the dregs of society as his primary client pool, Haller is the type of lawyer people point to when they say they hate lawyers. He's loose with the rules, quick on the uptake, and even quicker to negotiate a plea deal for a client. If he wasn't so successful you'd all him an ambulance chaser. The District Attorneys curse his name while falling to his charms and courtroom prowess. Oh, and did I fail to mention that his office is a chauffeured Lincoln Town Car, escorting him to his meetings throughout the city? Homeboy has it made.

Haller's not a complete jerk, he's just a guy with a plan. Part of that plan is taking care of his daughter and ex-wife(Marisa  Tomei), who works for the DA. If he's going to do that he needs a really big case. He finds it when socialite prettyboy Louis Roulet(Ryan Phillippe) requests him specifically as his counsel. Roulet has been thrown behind bars, charged with rape and attempted murder. Roulet forcefully demands right from the start that there'll be no deals this time. It's straight innocent, no jail time. Period.  It becomes clear very quickly that this case is one giant legal snake pit.  The victim is a prostitute, which should score Roulet some points with the jury. But then there's Rolet's caginess. He just can't quite get his story straight, and the DA is far too confident. Something isn't adding up, and the secrets being withheld could have consequences far beyond a simple courtroom verdict. 


Matthew McConaughey is an actor who irritates the crap outta me. Not because he's particularly bad in anything specific, but because so much of his potential has gone to waste mugging for the camera opposite Kate Hudson in bad rom-coms. As we saw when he played another cunning lawyer in A Time To Kill, he can be a fantastic dramatic actor when given material worth his time. McConaughey nails a role that could have become very cliche very quickly. We've all seen the story of the defense attorney at odds with his profession, which is basically letting creeps back out on the street. It's a role that seems tailor made for the actor, both calling for his good looks and charismatic personality, which again works just as well in reverse when the full weight of his burden starts to take it's toll.  Quite simply this is the best McConaughey has been in years, possibly ever.

I think in a lot of ways McConaughey is an actor who performs to the level of his supporting cast. I would look again to his two best performance in my opinion: A Time To Kill, and Contact opposite Jodie Foster. Here he gets to work with the great William H. Macy, a guy who has never had a dishonest emotion on screen ever. He gets to play Haller's private investigator sidekick, a wild haired neurotic helping dig into Roulet's questionable social life. Tomei is as sexy and solid as ever, even though her character isn't given a whole lot to do. It took Phillippe some time to work his way into the arrogant elitist role, but eventually he fits into it perfectly. The surprise was Josh Lucas as Haller's prosecutorial opponent. It's crazy to think that at one point both Lucas and McConaughey were very similar actors with career paths headed in the same direction(remember Stealth? Blah.). Now the two couldnt be more different, and it's personified by the extreme differences in their characters. I could've used a bit more of Katherine Moenig(The L Word), and Michael Pena(The Lucky Ones) is absolutely wasted. Both are extremely good in throw away roles.

Relatively unknown director Brad Furman has shown a marked improvement since his first(and only other) theatrical film, the low budget heist flick, The Take. He has a knack for the gritty, concrete side of Los Angeles, like he's stealing a page from David Ayer or Antoine Fuqua. The musical score is a bumpin' ode to 90s hip hop gems from Erick Sermon to Gangstarr(a fitting tribute to the fallen Guru). The beats bounce the story along in perfect sync with Furman's upbeat visual style. The real surprise is how well he also keeps the courtroom drama intriguing. Those have a tendency to become very stagnant.

As the twists continue to mount, my worry was that the story would start to unravel. It isn't long before the body counts start to rise and characters begin to reveal their true selves. Fortunately the script by John Romano never piles on more surprises than is necessary, keeping the majority of the focus on Haller's moral dilemma. Can Haller maintain his already shaky faith in the justice system when the system is crashing down around him?

Adapted from the work of crime novelist Michael Connelly, The Lincoln Lawyer is the type of movie we just don't get much of anymore. A legal thriller that's smart, mysterious, and will keep you on your toes from beginning to the very end. Here's hoping this is the start of a trend.

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