From the very first announcement of ParaNorman, the new family horror feature from Coraline animation studio LAIKA, the film has seemed like a promising new prospect. The story, animation with stop-motion, is about a young boy who can see the dead and must protect his town from a zombie invasion. The first teaser trailer for the movie didn’t dim expectations at all. Rather, it raised them by demonstrating that the film might have an enviable balance between quirk, comedy and thrills.
Now there is a new UK trailer that isn’t quite as successful, but still paints ParaNorman as a unique, fun kids’ movie that has charm and laughs to spare. Check it out below. Read More »
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I’m eager to see anything that comes out of the animation house Laika. The company’s last major production, Coraline, was a beautiful little film. Laika is following that with ParaNorman, a film written by Coraline storyboard supervisor Chris Butler.
The film has a great voice cast – Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In, The Road) in the lead, with Casey Affleck, Tempestt Bledsoe, Jeff Garlin, John Goodman, Bernard Hill (Titanic), Anna Kendrick, Leslie Mann, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Elaine Stritch (30 Rock) — and tells the story of a young boy who has to protect his town against a zombie uprising. The first teaser has just been released and it looks like exactly the sort of movie that would have made me deliriously happy between the ages of ten and, well, now. Check it out below. Read More »
Posted on Wednesday, October 12th, 2011 by Angie Han
Robert Redford‘s directorial effort The Company You Keep already boasts a top-notch cast, with Julie Christie, Susan Sarandon, Nick Nolte, Brit Marling, Shia LaBeouf, Stanley Tucci, Richard Jenkins, Stephen Root, and Redford himself all signed on. But apparently,there’s still room on the roster for more impressive talent. Anna Kendrick, Terrence Howard, Brendan Gleeson, and Sam Elliott have just boarded the cast of the political thriller, along with 11-year-old newcomer (and America’s Got Talent finalist) Jackie Evancho.
The Lem Dobbs-scripted adaptation of Neil Gordon‘s novel centers around Jim Grant (Redford), a former Weather Underground member who’s been on the FBI’s wanted list for the past three decades. When a determined young reporter uncovers the truth about his past, he’s forced to go on the run. With so many new actors joining up, there’s a lot of info to sort through, so hit the jump for more info on their roles.
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A cappella groups are a college campus staple to a certain extent, and also one of the more divisive forces in music. There’s not much middle ground on a cappella performance — people tend to either love groups that perform song catalogs using only the human voice, or they have zero tolerance for the concept altogether.
Despite an admiration for the art and a general love for the voice as an instrument, I’m generally in the latter camp. So I’m not sure I’ll be able to watch Pitch Perfect, even if it does cast Anna Kendrick as a college student who finds herself through a cappella performance. Read More »
Here’s a massive post-weekend catchup casting roundup, with a headlining turn from Jean-Claude van Damme. How can you resist the Muscles From Brussels? Answer: you can’t. Just give in to his suave, over-confident appeal. After the break you’ll find details about:
- JCVD taking part in a sci-fi film called UFO,
- Danny Glover joining the cast of a different sci-fi thriller, Mentryville,
- Sullivan Stapleton becoming the latest member of the Gangster Squad,
- Nico Tortorella from Scream 4 joining Guy Pearce and Amy Ryan in an indie,
- and What to Expect When You’re Expecting adds more.
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If you were wondering how a film about cancer could get played for laughs, and the first trailer for 50/50 didn’t quite hammer it home, this new one will. Directed by Jonathan Levine‘s 50/50 stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the story of a young man diagnosed with cancer at 27 and given a 50/50 chance of survival. It was written by Will Reiser, the person the film is inspired by, and blends a poignant commentary on mortality with some raunchy humor and a touching love story. Co-starring Seth Rogen (who also produced the film), Anna Kendrick, Anjelica Huston and Bryce Dallas Howard, it’s one of the best films of the year and you’ll get a chance to see it coming out September 30.
But right now, you can see a little more with the second trailer. Read More »
Posted on Monday, August 1st, 2011 by Angie Han
Glee star Darren Criss has landed a part in Imogene, a dark comedy by American Splendor directors Shari Springer Bergman and Robert Pulcini. The Michelle Morgan-penned script revolves around a New York playwright (Kristen Wiig) who fakes a suicide in order to get her ex-boyfriend’s attention. Instead of winning him back, however, she winds up forced to move in with her gambling-addicted “tacky Jersey Shore mother” (Annette Bening).
Criss will play “a younger love interest” who catches the eye of Wiig’s character, but let’s be real — the really intriguing bit of info here is the fact that Bening will be, as Vulture put it, “channel[ing] Snooki” to play “the mother who’s a little inappropriate all the time.” Shooting for the project will begin in New York City this summer. [ThePlaylist]
After the jump, Frank Grillo picks up two new roles on either side of the law, and Patricia Clarkson gets ready to scare the living daylights out of Ron Fucking Swanson.
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Posted on Thursday, July 14th, 2011 by Angie Han
Inglourious Basterds and Beginners actress Melanie Laurent is set to star opposite Jesse Eisenberg in Louis Leterrier‘s magician heist movie Now You See Me. The story revolves around FBI agents hunting down a group of world-famous bank-robbing magicians (sorry, illusionists) who shower their audiences with the stolen cash.
Jake Gyllenhaal, who was previously offered a role, has since passed. No news has been announced regarding either Philip Seymour Hoffman or Olivia Wilde, who were also circling parts in the film. The involvement of Laurent and Eisenberg seems like a good sign, though — both actors have good track records, and are probably big and respected enough to help draw in other high-quality talent. [Showblitz]
After the jump, two big ensemble comedy casts get just a little bit larger.
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