Writer-director Derek Cianfrance is reteaming with Ryan Gosling after working together on the critically acclaimed Blue Valentine, which came out here at the start of the year, and it looks like their newest project is going to be awesome. The first official image of Gosling in the film has now surfaced online over at The Playlist, with Gosling looking his natural ridiculously cool self.

The Place Beyond The Pines will see Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper in the co-leading roles, with the support cast rounded up by Eva Mendes, Rose Byrne, Ray Liotta, and Bruce Greenwood, in what should be a brilliant crime drama/thriller.

“Luke (Gosling) is a professional motorcycle rider who turns to bank robberies to support his newborn son, but when he crosses paths with a rookie police officer (Cooper) their violent confrontation spirals into a tense generational fued. THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES is a rich dramatic thriller that traces the intersecting lives of fathers and sons, cops and robbers, heroes and villain.”

Gosling has really been making a name for himself this year, with three very well-known films coming out in the past three months alone, supporting Steve Carell in Crazy, Stupid, Love.; co-leading with George Clooney in The Ides of March; and leading my personal favourite film of the year, Drive.

He’s currently at work filming Ruben Fleischer’s The Gangster Squad, due out at the end of next year, having wrapped shooting on The Place Beyond The Pines. The latter is currently still without a release date, but with shooting done, hopefully it will sneak into 2012’s releases, because I’m really looking forward to seeing what this will be like. The ‘generational’ aspect of it, in particular, has me intrigued, and I’m curious to see how Gosling and Cooper will be visually aged through the film.

Without further ado, here’s the first look at Gosling looking awesome on his motorbike. The skull-and-crossbones trousers could probably do with a miss, but the red leather jacket, the helmet, and the gloves – not to mention Gosling himself – all make up for them and then some.

The fantastic news came just a few days ago that John Goodman, known for such brilliant roles as Sulley in Monsters, Inc. and of course Walter in The Big Lebowski, is set to join Robert Zemeckis’ return to live-action in Flight, starring as the best friend of the leading man, Denzel Washington.

More great casting additions have now surfaced over at THR, with Academy Award-winning Melissa Leo (The Fighter) and James Badge Dale (TV’s 24 and The Pacific) in talks to join the project.

Written by John Gatins (Coach Carter, the upcoming Real Steel), Flight,

“centers on an alcoholic and drug-addicted pilot (Washington) whose plane engine malfunctions, forcing him to rescue the aircraft and its passengers, becoming a hero in the process. When the FAA investigates and finds evidence of drug abuse, it tries to sweep the evidence to the side to help preserve the image of the captain, who is trying to change the course of his life.”

If talks go well, Dale would be playing a dying cancer patient and Leo an investigator determined to expose Washington’s character’s drug addiction and cast the blame upon him.

Leo’s talents were deservedly well recognised at the Oscars earlier this year, where she won Best Actress for her part as Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale’s mother in The Fighter. She’s currently starring in Kevin Smith’s Red State, out in cinemas now, having just been nominated for an Emmy for her role in Mildred Pierce.

After a terrific role in the third season of 24 as Kim Bauer’s boyfriend and Jack’s fellow CTU agent, Dale has mostly been picking up small roles here and there, but has seen some attention heading his way in the past year or so, with a lead role in HBO’s The Pacific, and upcoming roles in Steve McQueen’s highly anticipated Shame with Michael Fassbender, Joe Carnahan’s The Grey with Liam Neeson, and Marc Forster’s World War Z with Brad Pitt.

With Bruce Greenwood having just officially signed on for the project too, and Don Cheadle and Kelly Reilly in negotiations along with Goodman, and of course with Washington as the leading man, signing on to Flight can only be good news and further great recognition for both Leo and Dale, and hopefully we’ll soon be getting the news that their negotiations have been successful. This is definitely shaping up to be a project to look forward to.

Emmy Award- and Golden Globe-winning actor, John Goodman, one of my favourite people to have graced the big and small screen, is now in talks to join Denzel Washington on Robert Zemeckis’ next film, Flight, Deadline report.

The film will see Zemeckis’ first return to live-action since 2000’s Cast Away, having directed The Polar Express, Beowulf, and A Christmas Carol in the years since then, and will be written by the rising screenwriter, John Gatins (Coach Carter, the upcoming Real Steel).

Flight will see,

“Denzel Washington as an airline pilot who averts a plane crash, only to come under a cloud for possible substance abuse problems. Goodman will play a friend of the pilot who helps him come to terms with his problems.”

I think the pairing of Washington and Goodman on the screen will be absolutely brilliant, and I can’t wait to see it happen. Both men are now in their late fifties, and both have had such immense roles in all their years of acting, and seeing them come together for this project should be awesome.

Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda), Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes), and Bruce Greenwood (JJ Abrams’ Star Trek) are also in negotiations to star, and with Goodman now coming into talks to join too, the cast is really shaping up nicely.

Goodman is coming into our cinemas as of today with Kevin Smith’s Red State (which I cannot wait to see), and will soon be soon in the upcoming silent film, The Artist, which has some pretty big buzz surrounding it, and the Tom Hanks-starring Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and is currently at work filming Ben Affleck’s Argo, the highly anticipated follow-up to last year’s The Town. Essentially, Goodman is going to be in a number of ridiculously brilliant projects over the next few years (and we can add to that list Monsters University), and Flight will hopefully be yet another film of his to look forward to.

Oscilloscope, via The Playlist, have released a fresh new trailer for western-drama Meek’s Cutoff.

Starring Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Shirley Henderson, Zoe Kazan, Will Patton and Bruce Greenwood, Meek’s Cutoff is directed by Kelly Reichardt (Wendy & Lucy).

Meek’s Cutoff centers on a group of settlers traveling through the Oregon desert in 1845 who find themselves stranded in harsh conditions, and will be released in the US on April 8.

Check out the new trailer below:

Oscilloscope have released the official poster for indie-western Meek’s Cutoff.

Directed by Kelly Reichardt, Meek’s Cutoff stars Paul Dano, Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson, Zoe Kazan, Tommy Nelson, Will Patton, Neal Huff and Rod Rondeaux.

Meek’s Cutoff premiered to mainly positive reviews at the 35th annual Toronto International Film Festival.

Settlers traveling through the Oregon desert in 1845 find themselves stranded in harsh conditions.

Check out the poster below:

Source: Moviefone

Here’s what is likely to be the final poster for new movie, Barney’s Version. It hits UK cinemas this coming Friday, 28th January. The trailer for the movie is here and stars Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Rachelle Lefevre and is directed by Richard J. Lewis.

Synopsis: Barney Panofsky is a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. A candid confessional, told from Barney’s point of view, the film spans three decades and two continents, taking us through the different “acts” of his unusual history. There is his first wife, Clara, a flame-haired, flagrantly unfaithful free sprit with whom Barney briefly lives “la vie de Boheme” in Rome. The “Second Mrs. P.,” is a wealthy Jewish Princess who shops and talks incessantly, barely noticing that Barney is not listening. And it is at their lavish wedding that Barney meets, and starts pursuing, his third wife, the mother of his two children, and his true love. With his father, Izzy as his sidekick, Barney takes us through the many highs, and a few too many lows, of his long and colorful life. Not only does Barney turn out to be a true romantic, he is also capable of all kinds of sneaky acts of gallantry, generosity, and goodness when we — and he — least expect it. His is a gloriously full life, played out on a grand scale.

Much like this previous poster, this one seems to be rather overdone on the airbrush tool in Photoshop!

Source: IMPA

Paul Dano (Little Miss Sunshine) has officially been cast in Another Night.

Dano will star opposite Robert De Niro (Stone) in the forthcoming adaptation of Nick Flynn’s acclaimed novel Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, a memoir that covers Flynn’s late 20s, when he worked at a homeless shelter in Boston.

Paul Weitz (Little Fockers) will direct a self-penned screenplay.

Focus Features will handle distribution.

Dano will next be seen alongside Michelle Williams, Shirley Henderson and Bruce Greenwood in Kelly Reichardt’s Meek’s Cutoff.

The Wrap reported this story.

Empire have revealed this brand new poster for Paul Giamatti’s latest movie, ‘Barney’s Version’ which may seem like a strange title but the film looks fabulous but then, most movies with Giamatti in usually are!

The trailer for the movie is here and as you’ll see, the cast is rather stella forcing us to expect good things. As well as Giamatti, the movie stars Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Rachelle Lefevre and is directed by Richard J. Lewis.

Not too sure on this poster though. I could be wrong but is that a CG version of Giamatti or is it just airbrush-tastic?!

Synopsis: Barney Panofsky is a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. A candid confessional, told from Barney’s point of view, the film spans three decades and two continents, taking us through the different “acts” of his unusual history. There is his first wife, Clara, a flame-haired, flagrantly unfaithful free sprit with whom Barney briefly lives “la vie de Boheme” in Rome. The “Second Mrs. P.,” is a wealthy Jewish Princess who shops and talks incessantly, barely noticing that Barney is not listening. And it is at their lavish wedding that Barney meets, and starts pursuing, his third wife, the mother of his two children, and his true love. With his father, Izzy as his sidekick, Barney takes us through the many highs, and a few too many lows, of his long and colorful life. Not only does Barney turn out to be a true romantic, he is also capable of all kinds of sneaky acts of gallantry, generosity, and goodness when we — and he — least expect it. His is a gloriously full life, played out on a grand scale.

Barney’s Version is scheduled for release in the UK 28th January 2011.

Yahoo have just released the second trailer for a movie I can’t wait to see called Barney’s Version. The trailer comes out a few days after Universal released these new images from the movie. It has an all star cast which includes Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Rachelle Lefevre and is directed by Richard J. Lewis.

This new trailer looks excellent with Giamatti delivering a stellar performance as always. Obviously a trailer can only tell you so much and we’ll have to wait for the full release to see what it’s really like but I have high hopes. It’s also nice to see Minnie Driver back after I don’t know how long!

Synopsis: Barney Panofsky is a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. A candid confessional, told from Barney’s point of view, the film spans three decades and two continents, taking us through the different “acts” of his unusual history. There is his first wife, Clara, a flame-haired, flagrantly unfaithful free sprit with whom Barney briefly lives “la vie de Boheme” in Rome. The “Second Mrs. P.,” is a wealthy Jewish Princess who shops and talks incessantly, barely noticing that Barney is not listening. And it is at their lavish wedding that Barney meets, and starts pursuing, his third wife, the mother of his two children, and his true love. With his father, Izzy as his sidekick, Barney takes us through the many highs, and a few too many lows, of his long and colorful life. Not only does Barney turn out to be a true romantic, he is also capable of all kinds of sneaky acts of gallantry, generosity, and goodness when we — and he — least expect it. His is a gloriously full life, played out on a grand scale.

Barney’s Version is scheduled for release in the UK 28th January 2011.

Universal Studios have released these new images from their new movie, Barney’s Version. The movie stars Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman, Rosamund Pike, Minnie Driver, Scott Speedman, Mark Addy and is directed by Richard J. Lewis.

Jon posted the trailer a while ago and to my knowledge, this is the first marketing for the movie since then.

Synopsis: Even Barney Penofsky’s friends tend to agree that he is a wife-abuser, an intellectual fraud, a purveyor of pap, a violent drunk, and probably a murderer. But when his sworn enemy threatens to publish this calumny, Barney is driven to write his own memoirs, selecting and plagiarizing his life.

Barney’s version is released in the UK 28th January 2011. Check out the images below and you can click them to enlarge.

Whether it’s fake or not, it’s nice to be reminded that Star Trek is, at some point going to be hitting our cinemas screens and from this image, it could be Summer 2012. The image comes from the chaps at Collider who too aren’t sure whether the image is legit or not and speculate that it could be from a calendar or other promotional material.

Star Trek was released in 2009 and saw John Cho, Ben Cross, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg and Chris Pine all star in the movie which rebooted the previously flagging sci-fi series. Fans new and old embraced this new version which was directed by J.J. Abrams and we’re now very excited to see the next.

I’ll let you be the judge of this image which you can click to enlarge:

Oscilloscope have acquired the North American distributions rights to Kelly Reichardt’s western-drama Meek’s Cutoff, which premiered in Toronto.

Meek’s Cutoff stars Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Bruce Greenwood, Shirley Henderson, Will Patton and Zoe Kazan, and takes place in 1845 on the Oregon Trail as three families hire an unreliable mountain man to lead them over the Cascade Mountains

Oscilloscope previously released Wendy and Lucy in 2008, which also starred Williams. Meek’s Cutoff is likely to be released in the first half of next year, and will be seen at the London Film Festival next month.

THR reported this one.

Nice guy Tim Conrad (Paul Rudd) has determined to escape from life as a cubicle drone and ascend to the lofty heights of the executive floor at Fender Financial.  Optimistic, in the face of recent rejection, that girlfriend Julie will soon consent to an ‘upgrade’ to fiancée he believes his success will secure their happily ever after.  Opportunity knocks when company head Lance Fender offers him an audition for a future with the company – an invitation to his exclusive Winner’s Dinner.  The price of entry: bring your own schmuck!

Tim cannot in good conscience attend.  He has given his word to Julie that he will not.  Tim always keeps his word, after all he is a nice guy. At least he was, until heartbroken IRS man Barry Speck stumbled in front of his car and unleashed his well-meaning friendship upon Tim’s once happy life.  Barry’s hobby is so preposterous and his life so inconsequential that the gentle saboteur seems the ideal guest for dinner and promotion a mere three courses away…

I have yet to see Le Dîner de Cons, the 1998 French farce which inspired Dinner for Schmucks, but I must confess I’d had higher hopes for the material.  I had imagined a black comedy in the vein of In the Company of Men (perhaps with a slightly lighter heart) – the pratfalls and Carry On quality of the bondage gags came as something of a shock to the system.  The careless cruelty of the Winner’s Dinner is a lovely set-up for a comedy and when dinner finally arrives it is well worth the wait.  However, the story takes such a meandering path to the table that at times I found my mind wandering away from the film altogether.

The strengths of Dinner for Schmucks lie almost entirely in its performances, the weaknesses in its plot.  The supporting cast (including The IT Crowd’s Chris O’Dowd) were an utter treat – underpinning the weaker moments of the story – and a sub-plot involving Julie’s sexually incontinent client Kieran (Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement) was almost worth the price of entry alone.  Kieran’s ‘wild’ self-portraits and Barry’s rodent still lives provided the majority of the film’s genuinely funny moments and the opening scene united the entire audience in surprised laughter.  David Walliams also shone, albeit gaudily, as an odious prospective client, it was nice to see him finally play slightly against camp type.  And be sure to look out for Zach (The Hangover) Galifianakis’ mesmeric turn!

Where the film fails is in its desire to unite slapstick with sentiment, the script flaunts vulgar and lazy humour almost to the point of distaste.  Steve Carrell too confused, playing Barry with the strangest mix of tenderness – as the tragic clown who cannot see he is ridiculous – and clumsiness – as the circus clown who blunders, flails and falls.  Once the first course is served Dinner for Schmucks comes in to its own, but I fear for some it may arrive far too late.  The guests are a brilliantly conceived sideshow of the weird and the WTF.  Although the biggest schmucks at the table are, of course, the smug men in suits.

Notes of perfect melancholy, alongside the humour, saved this lopsided film from descending into soulless schlock.  I thoroughly enjoyed Paul Rudd’s performance – he was engaging & endearing – and his presence elevated the film above generic slapshtick.  In its entirety Dinner for Schmucks was undoubtedly flawed but there were irresistible moments of sheer delicious comedy which made it quite impossible to dislike.

Dinner for Schmucks is released in the UK on September 3rd

Paul Giamatti, Dustin Hoffman and Minne Driver. Just three of the many reasons I’m looking forward to this Richard J. Lewis directed adaptation of the 1998 Mordecai Richler bestseller, Barney’s Version.

The short trailer, released today and cast high in the vast skies of the internet by The Playlist, preceeds its appearance at the Toronto International Festival, taking its place beside Aronofsky’s Black Swan, Mike Leigh’s Another Year and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s acclaimed Biutiful.

Here’s the briefest of brief synopsis from the forests of Amazon,

Even Barney Penofsky’s friends tend to agree that he is a wife-abuser, an intellectual fraud, a purveyor of pap, a violent drunk, and probably a murderer. But when his sworn enemy threatens to publish this calumny, Barney is driven to write his own memoirs, selecting and plagiarizing his life.

The double act of Giamatti and Hoffman looks to be a lot of fun, and while this trailer points to a cascade of witty, if bitter, banter. And it’s reminded me that we’ve not seen Minnie Driver on screen for a while, nice to see her back.

Both Trekkies and (now thanks to the release of last year’s geek/mainstream crossover prequel) non-Trekkies alike will be interested to read that Bruce Greenwood (Captain Pike), had this to say to Hollywood.com at a premiere this week, when he was asked about the shooting of the next film:

“I just know that the plan is to film it in January, more than that, I don’t know.”

His reply as to whether he’d make an appearance was less certain:

“I’m hustling for it…we’ll see…”

The character of Captain Pike appeared initially in the first series of Star Trek in the 60’s, but as last year’s film introduced the idea of a new alternative timeline, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Greenwood’s involvement is guaranteed.

It would be a shame if he didn’t crop up in again as he was a strong and welcome addition in the reboot, adding a bit of gravitas to the proceedings.

Still, at least now with a tentative start time for production and  a summer 2012 release scheduled, there is the knowledge that we’ll have a quality product when that stardate comes around!

And by Spock I mean Leonard Nimoy, not Zachary Quinto – there’s no chance J. J. Abrams would leave out the logical half of the dynamic duo, but word comes from MovieWeb that Nimoy may not be in the expected sequel.

He told MovieWeb:

If J.J. asked me to come back, I would consider it. But I don’t think it is necessary, nor do I think that is part of J.J.’s plan.

It’s a gracious touch from such an iconic character, particularly as it was his presence in Abram’s fast paced blockbuster that gave it the necessary sense of legacy and gravitas. While it is a shame to think of Star Trek without Nimoy the new cast need to forge a path for themselves, so it makes sense.

Also when chatting with Bruce Greenwood MovieWeb asked him about Captain Pike’s role in the second film:

“I know they’re writing the film right now, but I’m not sure if we’ll see Pike or not,”

Clearly Abrams has big plans for the future of Star Trek, and after watching the exhilarating first film on Blu-ray yesterday the cast Abrams has assembled to portray the original roles look hungry to establish themselves as the definitive Enterprise crew.