Knowing


To know about Knowing is to be informed of an upcoming apocalyptic thriller from a quartet of scribes with a background in Horror (many of the writers worked on 2005’s Boogeyman). However, this is a race against time action-drama starring ubiquitous leading man Nicolas Cage. Cage is Ted Myles, a teacher at his son’s school who uncovers the cryptic messages of a 50-year old document left in a time capsule by a former student there. Myles unearths the idea that the continual existence of Earth as we know it, rests largely in the hands of he and his son. The urgency to decode said messages and possibly save the world is thus agitated to the nth degree. To reveal much more about the plot would put you in the position of, well, knowing too much.

In the capable hands of underrated Director Alex Proyas, we can expect some shocks, twists, and hairpin turns that venture beyond the standard. His comic book adapted film The Crow flew away with some serious loot in ‘94 earning $50mm in domestic receipts, more than 3.5 times its reported budget. Viewers failed to venture into darkened theaters for 1998’s Dark City though, as it earned only about half that total worldwide. Proyas’ biggest earner to date was his most recent effort, 2004’s I, Robot which fought its way to $145mm domestically. Aided by box office royalty in the form of the Fresh Prince himself, Will Smith, it was the poorest received by critics (58% Tomatometer) of the films mentioned but it computed a futuristic $347mm worldwide.

The myopic Cage is never one averse to the big screen, feeling you might forget him if he is gone for more than a few months at a time. Despite some airballs he’d like to forget, like last year’s Next ($17mm gross vs. $70mm budget), he still has the backing of studios to get big projects. But he has averaged nearly 3 movies a year in the last decade(!), begging the question whether or not audiences will be tired of him. However, as indicated by his recent National Treasure: Book of Secrets, currently at $220mm domestic and $457mm worldwide, we know he can still draw a crowd.

It’s hard to know whether or not Knowing will triumph at the box office. That is largely dependent on who show’s up in what form. Proyas can potentially graduate to the official big time with a hit here. Stylistically, he has proven he can create fantastical worlds we want to inhabit but he hasn’t done a film set in modern day in a while. Let’s hope Cage’s performance is more along the lines of 2005’s nuanced Weather Man (7.0 IMDB rating) than ‘06’s Wicker Man (3.2(!) IMDB). If we as an audience don’t want to rip the Face Off of Nickel Gauge Cage in this one, the odds of a successful movie-going experience increase exponentially. You can now consider yourself in the know about Knowing.

Knowing - Movie Trailer HD

Tom Cruise 'Always Wanted to Kill Hitler'


SEOUL, South Korea (Jan. 19) - Tom Cruise fulfilled a boyhood dream with his role in his latest movie 'Valkyrie' - trying to kill Hitler. Cruise says he identifies with his German character, who led a failed plot to assassinate the Nazi leader.
"I've always wanted to kill Hitler. As a child, I used to wonder why someone didn't stand up and kill him," Cruise told reporters Sunday.

Cruise said he "came to greatly admire" the real person he portrayed in the film, Col. Claus von Stauffenberg. "Although the story takes place during the World War II, I found the story ageless," he said. Making the movie "was a powerful experience that I will never forget."
Despite mixed reviews, 'Valkyrie' had a solid $21.5 million opening weekend in North America in December and has made a total $77.6 domestically since then, according to the box office tracking Web site Box Office Mojo.
Cruise's visit to Seoul, where "Valkyrie" opens Thursday, marks a rare promotional stop by Hollywood to South Korea, which traditionally focuses on neighboring Japan as the industry's main Asian market. 'Valkyrie' director Bryan Singer said South Korea was picked as the first Asian country for the movie's release because it's "an extraordinary rising market" for both local and international films.

I Love You, Man


It's about something real. It can be hard to make guy friends with work and relationships and other commitments. It does have value, so it's worth pursuing. Presenting it as a romantic comedy structure is just the brilliant artistic point of view.

The random moments are brilliant. Their social observations are quite accurate and the nervous awkwardness or background characters chiming in provide sharp comic rhythms. The bits and banter feature references just random enough to be off the mainstream, but still known enough that no one should be alienated. They are delivered perfectly, and really, it's the banter that makes these movies engaging.

It's as R-rated as all the recent Apatow-influenced productions, but the sexual revelations are actually honest. It's not just outrageous. It is outrageous too but it's there because real people think that way.

Even when you can see a gag coming, they play it so straight that vomit is funny again. It's sincere. When they do some of the typical rom-com structure, it has enough irreverence that it still fits their perspective on the genre.

Though the film is about guy love, it has the most nurturing engagement between the lead and his fiancé. She actually wants to support him and improve his life, not just demand things from him.

It's also the first time I've ever seen an attractive wedding dress, and that includes my own ex-wife. Maybe it's just that Rashida Jones looks adorable in anything, but I really hate the way wedding dresses look. That's right, ladies. $1000s to look like a douche on your one special day. Unless I end up with Rashida Jones, that's what I think of it.

I Love You Man - Trailer HD

The Unborn



Directed by: David Goyer
Written by: David Goyer

Starring:
Odette Yustman - Casey Beldon
Gary Oldman - Sendak
Ethan Cutkosky - Barto
Cam Gigandet - Mark
Meagan Good - Romy
Jane Alexander - Sofi Kozma
James Remar - Gordon Belman
Idris Elba - Arthur Wyndham
C.S. Lee - Dr. Lester Caldwell
Rhys Coiro - Mr. Shields
Carla Gugino - Janet Beldon



David Goyer is a mind-boggling filmmaker at times in terms of the wide spectrum of his films; not in style, but in quality. The man behind the stories of such well-received films as Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and Dark City is also responsible for serious critical and commercial flops, such as Blade Trinity, The Crow: City of Angels and the made-for-TV movie Nick Fury: Agent of Shield starring none other than David Hasselhoff. It often seems as if Goyer has one good movie in him for every four or five bad ones, or perhaps that every time he puts together the story for a great one he must then, by some karmic decree, balance it out by just as much on the other side of the spectrum. With the 2008 Batman sequel pulling in accolade after accolade, including a Writer’s Guild of America nomination for Goyer and his co-writers, one wondered what his next project would be. The answer is The Unborn, a PG-13 horror film starring Odette Yustman and Gary Oldman that he both wrote and got behind the lens to direct, something he hasn’t done since Blade Trinity.

The Unborn - Movie Trailer

Gran Torino


Clint Eastwood has hinted that his role as bigoted Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski — a gun-toting widower living in Detroit near the struggling Ford auto plant and even nearer to the Asian immigrants crowding him out of his run-down, racially mixed hood — may be his last role as an actor. Eastwood, 78, has two Oscars for directing Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, and two nominations for starring in them. But an Oscar for acting? Not yet. Get busy, Academy.

I don't think Eastwood will ever turn down a juicy role. But Gran Torino, named after the 1972 car that Walt garages and polishes like a symbol of his idealized past, is a humdinger of a valedictory. Directed by Eastwood from a script by newcomer Nick Schenk, Gran Torino is Eastwood's hell-raising salute to every hardass he's ever played. Cranky Walt often communicates in a growl that sounds like a demon in need of an exorcist (wait till you hear Eastwood rasp a few bars of the film's memorable title song). Walt squints at the Hmong family next door, especially Thao (Bee Vang), a teen with a rustler's eye on the Torino. Thao's smart-mouth sister, Sue (the wonderful Ahney Her), can defrost Walt with a beer and food that isn't his usual beef jerky, but only Walt's dog, Daisy, dares to get too close. Cocking his rifle when gangbangers intrude on his territory, Walt snarls, "Get. Off. My. Lawn." Terrific stuff. And it gets better when Walt confronts some hoods playing grabass with Sue: "Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while that you shouldn't have messed with? That's me."

And that "me" isn't just Walt. It's the Man With No Name taking aim in those spaghetti Westerns. It's Dirty Harry Callahan asking, "Do you feel lucky, punk?" It's William Munny, from Unforgiven, digging deep to note, "It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. You take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have." It's even Frankie Dunn, the fight manager from Million Dollar Baby, who knows "tough ain't enough."

Gran Torino - Movie Trailer HD

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)


starring:
Kristin Kreuk, Michael Clarke Duncan, Chris Klein, Rick Yune, Moon Bloodgood, Taboo, Edmund Chen, Cheng Pei Pei, Josie Ho, Neal McDonough
director:
Andrzej Bartkowiak

synopsis :
Based on the popular video game, this adaptation focuses on female fighter Chun Li and her quest for justice.


The second live-action Street Fighter adaptation is headed to theaters next year, and while Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li was shot in English, this Japanese trailer represents the first glimpse of near-finished footage.

Doom director Andrzej Bartkowiak is helming the project, with Smallville veteran Kristin Kreuk filling in the titular role. The film also stars Neal McDonough as M. Bison, Chris Klein as Charlie, Michael Clarke Duncan as Balrog, and Black Eyed Peas singer Taboo as Vega.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li hits theaters on February 27, 2009.

Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009) & Movie Trailer HD

Two Lovers


A 2929 Prods. and Wild Bunch presentation of a Tempesta Films production. (International sales: Wild Bunch, Paris.) Produced by Donna Gigliotti, James Gray, Anthony Katagas. Executive producers, Agnes Mentre, Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Marc Butan. Co-producers, Mike Upton, Couper Samuelson. Directed by James Gray. Screenplay, Gray, Richard Menello.

Leonard Kraditor - Joaquin Phoenix
Michelle Rausch - Gwyneth Paltrow
Sandra Cohen - Vinessa Shaw
Ruth Kraditor - Isabella Rossellini
Ronald Blatt - Elias Koteas
Reuben Kraditor - Moni Monoshov


An involving, ultimately touching romantic drama about a young man's struggle deciding between the two women in his life, "Two Lovers" reps a welcome change of pace for director James Gray from his run of crime mellers. Well acted by Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw, this very New York tale is old-fashioned in good ways that have to do with solid storytelling, craftsmanship and emotional acuity. Developing an audience will be another matter altogether; its central romantic dynamic would be entirely accessible to a mass audience, but pic's smallish nature and lack of real B.O. names suggest that interest will need to be built among discerning viewers via fest exposure and critical support, leading into gradual platform release by a dedicated distrib.

Two Lovers & Movie Trailer

Eleven Minutes

A Zero Point Zero production, in association with Maximum Vacuum. Produced by Michael Selditch, Rob Tate. Executive producers, Lydia Tenaglia, Christopher Collins. Directed by Michael Selditch, Rob Tate.

With: Jay McCarroll, Nancy Kane, Kelly Cutrone, Lee Deekle, Jason Lowe, Lola Brooks, Anthony Cady, Omahrya Mota, Eve Salvail.

A skillfully crafted, highly entertaining docu about process, personality and perception, "Eleven Minutes" revolves around the charismatic Jay McCarroll, the first "Project Runway" winner, in his real-world bid for fashion fame and fortune. McCarroll's media renown has put enormous pressure on him to prove himself more than a boob-tube phenom, particularly in an industry known for its whimsical cruelty. With little money, endless expenditures, no business experience and a lot of talented best buds, McCarroll manages to cobble together a collection for his moment in the spotlight. A working man's "Unzipped," this hugely diverting docu struts strong niche appeal.

Shambling, teddy-bearish McCarroll, like some gay Michael Moore, invites the documentary crew -- and, by extension, the viewer -- to bear witness to his production process and all the contradictions implicit in turning out high fashion on a low budget. McCarroll and his minions scour Canal Street and the Lower East Side for cheap materials, meeting with grommet makers and silkscreen artists to turn his drawings into garments.

Eleven Minutes & Movie Trailer

The Assassination of a High School President - Review


One could be forgiven for mistaking Assassination of a High School President's Bobby Funke (Reece Danial Thompson) with a young, Catholic school version of Humphrey Bogart. Brett Simon's feature-length directorial debut finds the budding reporter unraveling a vast conspiracy at St. Donovan's High School, one involving stolen tests, point shaving, illegal drugs and attempted murder. Whether he's cornering the class president Paul Moore (Patrick Taylor) or taking his road test, the patter of Funke's near-constant inner monologue is pure Bogie.

Thompson brings the character to life in a way that few his age could handle. He does however get a fair bit of help from writers (and former South Park production assistants) Tim Calpin and Kevin Jakubowski. The script in Assassination is nothing short of brilliant, a hilarious noir-comedy mixture in which each character is more colorful than the last.

Take Mr. Kirkpatrick (Bruce Willis), a no-nonsense, emotionally scarred Iraq war veteran with a strong hatred for troublemakers and gum chewing. Or the spaced-out school nurse (Kathryn Morris), who isn't really sure of where she is let alone what's ailing the students who come to see her. There's also the class hottie Francesca (Mischa Barton), a sort of "femme fatale next door," and her slimy brother (STEP brother, that is) and recently promoted class VP Marlon Piazza (Luke Grimes).